Rewriting the Job Description of Your Life

I recently had a truly fantastic coaching session with Freya Blom that left me reflecting deeply on the roles I’ve carried through life—and how much of them were chosen versus assumed.

Freya set me an exercise that I’d love to share with you because it has already shifted my perspective. The task was simple in theory but profound in practice: write a job description of the roles you’ve adopted in your life.

The Job Description of Assumed Roles

As I began writing, the job description was authored by past versions of me that tried to make sense of the world around me. It was shaped by my toddler self, my teenage self, and all the messages I absorbed in my mid-20s.

It read something like this:

• Be perfect.

• Do it quickly.

• Do it now.

• Be a delight in the room.

• Be Strong

• Take responsibility

• Deportment is important (a drummed in phrase from childhood!)

• Work hard. Try hard. Always be pleasant—regardless of how you’re really feeling.

  
  

This was a description written by years of expectation, assumption, and cultural conditioning. It wasn’t malicious—many of these messages were given with love—but they created a silent contract. One where my worth was measured by productivity, effort, and the ease I created for others.

The Job Description of My Wiser Self

The second part of the exercise was to write a new job description—this time authored by my wiser self.

This wiser self draws on my faith, my lived experiences, my values, and the future I’m intentionally creating through my work and business. She knows better, not because she is perfect, but because she has learned.

Her job description looked very different:

• Honour wellbeing as a non-negotiable.

• Set and hold boundaries.

• Rest without judgement—rest is not laziness.

• Take aligned action guided by values.

• Speak your truth respectfully and lovingly.

• Be gentle, but also firm when needed.

• Create work and impact that feels purposeful and contributes positively to the world.

  
  

This version reflects not just who I am now, but who I am becoming. It’s the description that allows me to experience my life in ways that feel authentic, nourishing, and fulfilling.

Why This Exercise Matters

The power of this exercise is in the contrast. Looking at these two job descriptions side by side, I could clearly see:

• The backdrop scripts that still influence my choices today.

• The roles I’ve unconsciously played for decades.

• The permission I have to rewrite them and step into something new.

The question becomes: What is within my gift to change? What am I noticing about myself? How might I operate differently so I can live in alignment with the role I’ve intentionally crafted, rather than one I’ve unconsciously inherited?

The Invitation

Perhaps you’ve never thought about your life in terms of a job description. But what would yours say? Who authored it—the voices of your past, or the wiser voice within you?

At Intentional Steps Ltd, Coaching sits a the centre of our services. Whether you are seeking personal or professional development we partner with you—helping rewrite the unspoken contracts that drive choices.

👉 Take the first step and book an enquiry call👉

Because the roles you choose to play will shape not just your work, but your entire life.

Shout out to Freya Blom for being an awesome coach!