The idea that work is a separate compartment, something to manage, endure, perform within or eventually move on from, underestimates how much it shapes who we become.

Work is one of the most consistent behavioural environments in adult life. It reveals how we respond to pressure, make decisions in uncertainty, hold boundaries, navigate power, work across difference and recover when things go off track. When these behaviours repeat daily, they stop being functional and start becoming part of who we are.

Work focuses your attention. It shows what you prioritise, what you let slide and how you show up under pressure. It surfaces patterns in real time and gives you a chance to work with them in how you act, respond and adjust.

For most people, reflection only kicks in after something breaks. Growth becomes a reaction to setback instead of something intentional. It’s more useful to build reflection into your day-to-day, to notice patterns early, understand the effect they’re having and adjust them before they become fixed.

Work shapes how you think, relate, lead and decide. What you do often becomes what you do automatically. What you do automatically becomes part of your identity.

Ask yourself whether you’re shaping that process, or leaving it to run the way it always has.