Stripped
It’s easy to appreciate the beauty of a tree in full bloom. Millions make the trek to celebrate cherry blossom festivals around the globe each spring. Likewise, fall foliage is mesmerizing with its bursts of bright orange, deep maroon, and sharp yellow. And let’s face it, everything is just better in the summer.
But far too often, we ignore the solemn beauty of trees in winter. If I’m honest, winter trees used to make me sad — their branches a skeletal reflection of their brilliant blooming glory.
That changed this week.
During one of my morning walks, I marveled at the complex architecture of bare branches and sturdy trunks. Rather than a lesser version of themselves in seasons past, winter exposes the beauty and power of a tree’s foundation. Like snowflakes, I discovered that each tree was unique, displaying structural variations even within the same species. Stripped of all adornment, I grew to appreciate the intricate scaffolding beneath the surface — the integral support structure behind the scenes of each tree’s outer beauty.
During times of professional transition — both planned and unexpected — we often feel exposed. Stripped of our previous professional identities, some may shrink to a mere shadow of themselves in full bloom. Without our titles and associated accoutrements, it can feel like we’ve transformed from a V.I.P. (Very Important Person) to a P.I.P. (Previously Important Person) in the blink of an eye.
This is a false narrative.
You are more than your resume; your LinkedIn profile does not define your worth. Every role, remit, accomplishment, and accolade was built upon the scaffolding of your core values — authenticity, integrity, curiosity, grit, and resilience. Don’t be distracted by the allure of spring blossoms or the splendor of fall foliage. Strip down to your essence — bare branches, fully exposed. Therein lies the source of your strength, the foundation of your true identity.
I feel like it is a new beginning, a re-introduction of myself as a new artist in a way, because for the first time people are really seeing and getting to know how I really am. I got a chance to show of all these colors and textures of my love of music and of my vocal range. Coming off of the height of being a part of such a big pop-craze phenomenon, that imagery of that cookie-cutter sweetheart, without it being me, I just had to take it all down and get it away from me. And that is why I actually named the album Stripped, because it is about being emotionally stripped down and pretty bare to open my soul and heart.
— Christina Aguilera to MTV News on the concept of Stripped, 2022
All too often, we define success by external validation. We check the right academic and professional boxes. Our titles increase at the proper pace, and we stay in each role for a traditionally acceptable amount of time. What if we took a leap and defined success on our own terms? What if we defied expectations and shaped our careers based on the joy a role can bring or the impact we can drive? What if we took a bet on ourselves?
Maya Angelou defined success as “liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” Let’s strip down all the artifice and get back to our roots. Let’s dare to build careers that we can be proud of — not just the ones that are expected of us.
