In the last 1.5 months, I've found myself reflecting a lot more than I usually do. I suspect it was a series of events that included deaths in my social circles, aging family members that are constantly hospitalized (including those of my close friends), and my usual ponderings about purpose and whether the path I'm taking is the right one. In fact, I think this may have been the first time in my life where I've felt I've had to choose between family and work.

Given how closely tied my career is to my identity, the title of this article draws from a passage I heard from my 3rd time listening (and 3 more times within the last 1.5 months) to When Breath Becomes Air, a memoir by Paul Kalanithi, a Stanford University neurosurgeon that was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer shortly after completing his training. Given how many of us, especially in America, live to work vs. work to live, this seemed like a fitting article for LinkedIn.