We do define ourselves through our work, don’t we? I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit in the last weeks as I’ve encountered the phrase, “it’s my job” in movies and in real life.

We throw that out when we take pride in ourselves as professionals in the the fields that we are in. At the same time, it can sound almost as an excuse or an insult.

Examples:
“Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.”
“It’s my job.”

“It was great the way you handled that.”
“It’s my job.”

Sometimes, we use “it’s my job” instead of a simple “thanks” or “you’re welcome.” Or, maybe it’s not that simple.