You Are Not What You Produce
If you are not what you produce, then what are you?
This question stumped me recently. When I share something about myself on Twitter or social media, I’m usually sharing something I’ve made — a blog post, an investment, a project, a song… Surely there’s more to me than the things I generate, right? I actually had to sit down and brainstorm a list of other things! In case you’re also production-centric, here’s a framework of non-production-based things that make you you.
Need
You are born into the world with physical and emotional needs that your caregivers must satisfy for you. Hunger, thirst, warmth, sleep, human connection, and safety.
Desire
Physical desire is hunger or thirst; intellectual desire is curiosity; sexual desire is lust; and economic desire is consumer demand.¹ Your passions guide you toward growth and learning. What do you want?
Sensation
Through your miraculous body and its many more than 5 senses (heard of nociception? the perception of pain), you experience sensation. How sensitive you are to different stimuli is unique to you. What do you sense?
Emotion
Emotions have an effect on your perception, attention, memory, reasoning, problem solving, and learning. Cultural expectations (based on gender, age, normalized responses…) around behavior influence how you manage your emotions. What do you feel?
Thought
You take in staggering amounts of information, focus on some, ignore most, and then perceive observations and create stories to make sense of your experiences. Your thoughts and emotions dance in bi-directional influence, driving your actions. What do you think?
Energy
Body, cells, molecules, atoms, sub-atomic energy clouds. That’s you! Also the processes that create energy to fuel your body. Also the energy you bring to interactions with others. Life is energy and you are alive. What are you?
Potential
This one’s a bit weirder. You are you right now, but you’re also the you you will become. The things you could do, the changes you might affect in the universe — it’s something others can believe in and see in you. What will you become?
🌞 Thank you to Amanda Ranae for prompting this story and Kate Conklin for editing.
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