What do you do?

"What do you do?"

Someone asked me this the other day. Actually, I am asked this a lot. Usually, when asked, I get anxious and tongue-tied, managing to reply something like, "I'm a journalist," or "I'm a reporter," or "I'm a writer."

Why do I get nervous? Because I do so much and I'm not sure how to tell people this. For example, I write articles, which is much more involved than sitting in front of a computer and typing away. There is researching who and what I will be covering, going to events, and interviewing people, to name a few tasks. Then there are the skills I need to develop to properly do all of those things, like listening, questioning, making conversation. In order to properly develop those skills, I need to work on my character qualities, including patience, humbleness, and confidence. So how do I say all of this when people want a soundbite, not a mouthful?

I might have nailed it this last time I was asked, "What do you do?" Instead of nervously stammering away, I paused to think while gazing into the distance. Then I looked the person in the eyes, and said, "Exactly what I'm doing now."

What a simple, yet obvious reply. Strip away my job title, the work that goes with it, the skills needed to complete the work, the character development, and I was just standing there in the presence of someone else. That's what I was doing.

How often do we talk about what we do as opposed to actually doing something? What about just focusing on what we are doing instead of what we want others to think we are doing? Do we ever wonder why the other person is asking?

What do you do?