Sojourn: On the trap of titles, the value of slowness, and a note to myself
Sojourn is a Sunday letter for those reinventing with intention—a practical companion to help you pause, reset, and reshape the way you live and work from the inside out. Was this forwarded to you? Subscribe here to receive the next one directly.
Happy Sojourn Sunday!
This week: 1 quiet reflection, 1 anchoring idea, and 1 prompt to meet the moment.
1 Quiet Reflection
The Trap of Titles.
We collect titles like badges — job roles, relationship labels, credentials, achievements. They help us introduce ourselves, feel seen, feel worth.
But sometimes, the title becomes the trap.
We outgrow it. We change.
And suddenly, the thing we worked so hard to earn no longer fits.
I’ve been there — holding onto identities that no longer reflected who I was, simply because I didn’t yet know who I’d be without them.
Immigrant. Creative Director. Wife. Mother. Expat.
Even “resilient,” when everything inside me was unraveling.
None of those titles were untrue.
But they became cages.
I clung so tightly, I almost couldn’t hear myself..
Sometimes the hardest part of change isn’t what you’re stepping into.
It’s letting go of the identity you built to ‘survive’.
Real freedom came when I stopped obsessing with the title…
and started listening to the the voice inside.
1 Idea to Anchor You
Slowness is wisdom.
In a fast world, pausing feels rebellious.
But what if the pause is where growth actually happens?
Slowness gives you room to breathe.
To integrate.
To ask better questions.
To lead from steadiness, not stress.
Speed might get you there faster.
But slowness ensures you’re headed somewhere that matters.
“It is no use going faster if you are heading in the wrong direction.”
Source: Simon Sinek
1 Prompt to Meet the Moment
Note to Self
This week, write down something you know deep down but haven’t said out loud.
It doesn’t have to be profound.
Just honest.
Start with:
“I don’t have it all figured out, but I can…”
Finish the sentence.
Let it remind you what matters most right now.
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Until next Sunday,
Ana
