08/15/2026
It’s easy to assume that the way we move through our days is simply personal.
We’re the one who keeps working through lunch. We’re the one who answers the message. We’re the one who has trouble saying no. We’re the one who makes ourselves available.
But when enough people recognize themselves in the same patterns, it’s worth getting curious about what might be shaping them.
Workplace culture. What we’ve seen rewarded. What people have come to expect from us. What we’ve learned gets described as committed, dependable or capable.
None of that means the choices we’re making are wrong. Some may fit exactly how we want to live and work.
But sometimes realizing, “Oh, other people have gotten used to this too,” helps us see something we had assumed was simply ours.
Different lives. A lot of the same expectations.
