Does what you do define you?

Today I am struggling with a very specific issue...  Does what you do for work actually define who you are as a human being?  I would always have said no, but as I am entering into a bit of a transitional time in my career I am starting to wonder if I was just pretending.  If what I do does not define me, then why is it so hard to envision myself doing something different?  AND, why do I allow the frustrations in my career to affect how I view my own self worth.  Just a few years back, I could look in the mirror at myself and my accomplishments and feel pride and excitement.  Today, though I have accomplished even more and risen above many obstacles, I just feel kind of...  empty.  I am not a huge fan of me these days, which is the worst kind of disappointment.  How do I get back to the me that was excited to tackle another day?  

I can pin point much of my internal struggle in certain variables in my current "environment," but these are not things that will change until I am on to the next step.  The very elusive next step in my career and in my life.  I guess the real challenge in front of me then is how do I maintain the important elements of me, even though I am pretty sure they are not welcomed or appreciated in my day to day existence?  Quite frankly, I like me.  I like who I am as a human being and the impact that I am able to bring to the world around me.  I have always known that I was a bit of a square peg in a round hole in my career, but lately I am wondering if the entire puzzle might have changed around me when I wasn't looking.

So here I am stuck, working for change, but in the mean time stuck just the same... and there are days (like today) where I have to just close my door or walk away and remind myself that I GET TO CHOOSE.               
 
It's funny - I've told my younger brother this a few times too over the years, and I can't tell if he thinks I am completely certifiable or inspiring (hopefully both??), but I often have to stop in my tracks on any regular day and say OUT LOUD to myself, "You - get - to - choose."  It could be the choice between a good day or a bad day, or between doing what feels good vs. what actually is good.  Every day, every moment is a choice.       

As ridiculous as this sounds, it is something that I truly believe in.  I read this quote on-line a few weeks back and actually printed it to hang up in my office.  "Miserable people focus on the things they hate about their life.  Happy people focus on the things they love about their life."

 So - Today I am fighting hard to choose to be happy.  What I do for work will not define my worth as a human being, and there is nothing I can do to change the nasty attitude problem that our IT guy has.  If I keep repeating these things, eventually maybe my heart will begin to believe them.  That's the very best I can do for now.