Are you a Human-Being or Human-Doing?
- Stephan Bajaio
- May 3
- 3 min read
Actions and Reflections – The Keys to Personal Growth
Let me ask you something that hit me like a dad joke with emotional depth: Are you a human being… or a human doing?
Just stop a sec and let it marinate.
We live in a culture of hustle, productivity, KPIs, quarterly goals, and checking off every last box on a to-do list that seemingly rewrites itself overnight. It's like chasing a finish line that keeps moving, waving back at you with a “nice try, pal” smirk (Night Guy always screws over Day Guy IYKYK).
But here's what no spreadsheet or productivity app tells you: Personal growth doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from being more.
The Identity Crisis We Rarely Talk About
Somewhere along the path—likely paved with good intentions and Slack notifications—we started defining ourselves by our output.
What do you do?
What did you accomplish today?
What’s next on your roadmap?
Sound familiar? We're mistaking motion for meaning. We’re mistaking productivity for purpose.
Reflection Is the Work
If you’re anything like me (read: allergic to routine, energized and petrified by change, and fueled by meaningful conversation over meaningless meetings), you know the magic doesn’t happen in the “doing.” It happens in the reflection after the doing.
What did I learn? What felt right? Where did I stumble—and what did I trip over? Did I even like who I was while doing it?
That’s where growth lives. Not in the metrics. In the mirror. That time isn't billable, but it sure is valuable.
Try This: The 3Rs of Being
Recognize: Take a breath. Zoom out. Who are you outside your title, your inbox, your latest post-performance review?
Reframe: Your worth isn’t in what you do—it’s in how you show up while doing it. ( For more on that see my recent article "Your Team Doesn’t Care About Your Title—They Care How You Show Up")
Refuel: Prioritize the relationships, ideas, and activities that reenergize your being—not just the hustle that fills your calendar. Hell if you have to schedule the time in your calendar just to build the habit.
Real Talk That’s Realer Than Real
I’ve led teams. Built brands. Helped companies rethink their digital strategies—and, more importantly, their internal cultures. But the most powerful transformations I’ve witnessed didn’t come from a shiny new tactic or a killer quarter.
They came from people who paused. Who gave themselves permission to be—even briefly—and everything shifted.
The manager who ditched the back-to-back Zoom marathons and started actually listening—like, “turn off Slack, lean in, ask the second question” kind of listening.
The marketer who stopped obsessing over impressions and conversions, and started digging into the stories behind the stats—the human moments driving the metrics.
The founder who put the pitch deck down and started having real conversations—not to sell, but to connect. To understand. To matter.
Those weren’t productivity hacks.
They were perspective pivots.
And they changed everything.
Being is a Bold Act
To be present. To be self-aware. To be still. That’s not passivity. That’s power.
And when you embrace that, you shift the narrative—from “What did I get done today?” to
“Who was I today? And who am I becoming?”
Because growth doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from being better.
What about you? When was the last time you were just… a human being?
Drop your thoughts, stories, or even confessions below. Let's redefine success—one reflection at a time.
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