Thanks Dennis!
I AM a professional, have been for many years. I work in a field that is supposed to be staffed by professionals and at least half of them wouldn't meet half the criteria on your list most days!
I know what you are getting at though and there is food for thought there. As far as getting the most out of life, we should all strive to be "professionals" at living.
There has been a awful lot of chatter recently on a number of Boards about "passing" - what you HAVE to do to be seen as a woman and what you CAN'T do and be seen as a woman, and about "markers" and "tell-tales" - but many people get caught up in this self-evaluating and measuring themselves by these "standards".
Being 56 and almost 32 years post-op, I had figured something out a LONG time ago and it is the only "standard" by which I measure my life.
There is no "dress rehearsal" for life - you get one shot at it and THIS IS IT! When it's over (and none of us know how soon that might be), there is only one thing that will have mattered, ONLY ONE THING and that is
HOW HAVE WE TOUCHED THE LIVES OF OTHERS?What effect has our living, our existence, had on those who knew us? Did we leave something positive behind, something that changed someone else for the better.
When we interact with another person, we change that person. If it is a casual friend, the change may be small; if it is somebody close, the change may be large. Sometimes we may cause a change in a person who simply sees us walking down the street. We are seldom aware of how and when we change people.
We can change people for the better with traits like being loving and kind, like being understanding and forgiving, or we can change people in bad ways by being hateful or cruel.
The way we treat the people around us will determine what kind of memories of us they will carry when we are gone and the ways we change them are the same changes they will pass on to others around them. It is like a ripple on a pond.
When we reach the end of our days and lay on our death beds, it isn't going to matter one wit whether we "passed" or whether we "looked woman enough" - the only thing that matters in life is what we are leaving behind and the only thing that endures beyond our immediate circle is HOW WE TOUCHED OTHERS.
In my "day job" I am a part of building megalithic concrete structures that will be around for hundreds of years but that is of no significance compared to how I touch the dozens or hundreds of people I meet every day. My mega-structures will crumble into dust but the ripples I make in humanity go on for as long as mankind exists.
If you want to REALLY be a "professional", focus on the only thing that is truly important - leaving "good ripples" with everyone you touch every day. To do that, recognize your own intrinsic value and live your life as the best person you can be - that way you will leave good ripples. Don't sweat the little stuff!
