I've been thinking about this a lot recently. For a few reasons.

And there are a few things that have struck me, that I wondered then if it's just me who does this or whether more of us do. (Or don't, really).

And that is, actually put a name to it and SAY who they are.

It's been bugging me for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, a while ago, well two years ago when I started blogging actually, I also started becoming very aware of the language used when you meet new people. Small talk convention means that pretty soon in any conversation with someone new you'll be asked ...

'So, what do you do?'

And I think most of us, also out of convention, then talk about 'what we do to make money/make a living'.

I suppose the question could be posed differently, but even as it stands ... WHAT DO YOU DO?

Many, many people have things they DO outside their work that they love, that's their passion, that's actually what they work in their paying job to DO.

But no one (well, hardly anyone) answers the question with, 'Oh I'm a circus performer, a trapeze artist' ... and then, 'oh, you mean what I do for a living? I'm a marketing manager for a beauty company - and currently it allows me to follow my passion, the trapeze'.

I was thinking about it two years ago when I started my blog and recently I've become really interested again in the language I used and use.

Two years ago, I changed my public 'profile' description (on social media) and I added my hobbies/passions/projects to that description.

So I'd say things like:

'Magazine publisher by day; foodie and supperclub founder by night'

And honestly, even that felt a little bit ... well, brave ... for me, to start talking about the things I love doing for me, after being so confined by 'what I did to make money'.

Of course, once you start challenging your beliefs and thoughts, you keep on doing so.

I started thinking more about whether, when asked in a social situation, 'what do you do?', whether I could turn it round and answer FIRST with what I love to do and THEN with what I do to make a living.

(I do have to note here that unlike many people in 'jobs' that pay the rent or mortgage, I have a career that I love and enjoy and am proud of what I create and make happen there. So this isn't about someone hating their job and wanting to be defined as something else. I've been - and am - more than happy to say I'm a magazine publisher and I can (as many know) talk about it 'til the proverbial cows come home).

But it's no longer, 'what I do'.

And I see now that progression when I look back again at those social profiles.

OK, I moved on a bit - calling myself a 'foodie' and a 'blogger'.

But actually, aren't they a little bit ... nothing?

There's no passion there!

Recently, I decided to drop the 'day job' info completely. For now - as I said, it's still something I love and am proud of.

But I need to stand up and say who I am.

And why, why, why ... has that been so hard and taken so long?

As of last weekend, I updated my profiles to say that I'm a ...

'Writer, cook, creator of the Tiniest Thai supperclub and eating plan'

AND ... WHY WAS THAT SO HARD?

To be honest, I've further to go on this - in naming who I am/what I do, owning it, NAMING it and sharing it.

But I'm sharing now as this has felt important to me - announcing (not without fear, of course still with fear that somehow I'm bluffing), but announcing who I am and what I do.

And next time at a party and someone asks what I do, I'm really practising not defaulting to my (interesting and sounds great) 'magazine publisher' job.

I'm practicing saying what it is I DO. That I spend every spare moment doing. That I do with or without payment.

It tells more about who I am and what I love.

I am (right now) a writer, a cook and a host/salonniere of my Tiniest Thai supperclub and salon.

And If I can do it politely and in a way that opens up interesting conversation, I'm going to be challenging others to talk about their passions when they answer that question ...