"Define yourself by why, not what you do After a career-ending hand injury at 15 ended Maya Shankar's path as a concert violinist, she discovered that her identity had been too narrowly tied to the instrument itself. She realized she needed to "define yourself not just by what you do but by why you do it" — stripping away the surface label to find the underlying passion. For Maya, that essence was "a love of human connection," which she could express through writing, podcasting, and science. Anyone who loses a job title, sport, or role can use this same question to find new outlets for the drive that always powered them. Source: Maya Shankar, The Mel Robbins Podcast, Life Takes a Turn"