What defines you?

When I first joined LinkedIn and was setting up my profile, I faced a common question: “What should be seen at your profile?”

Naturally, I started with the obvious professional highlight, Ex-Intern at Sangath: Vastu Shilpa Consultants, the iconic firm founded by Pritzker Prize laureate B.V. Doshi. It’s one of the most respected names in architecture, in India and globally. Listing it gave my profile visibility, and it helped people recognize a part of my professional background instantly.

But over time, I began to question something deeper:

Why should a firm’s name define who I am?

Why should what I do be the entire story of me?

So, I changed my headline.

I stopped leading with a title, and instead started with what truly drives me:

Architecture | Rubik’s Cube | Travel | Photography | Cinema | Music | Writing | Reading | Exploring…

These aren’t just hobbies, they’re extensions of who I am. They reflect how I think, how I create, and how I live. The last word, ‘Exploring’ - sums it up best. I’m still discovering, still learning, still becoming.

I understand the other perspective too: that LinkedIn is a platform where titles and achievements help people connect with the right people and right opportunities. And maybe I do have the flexibility to express myself this way because I’m still early in my career. But I believe there’s value in being seen for more than just a job title. Because we are more than the places we’ve worked or the titles we’ve held. We’re also what we love, how we think, and what we’re curious about.

So here’s a question for you:

What defines you?

---

P.s. : One question keeps returning to me: Is it better to be the best at one thing or to explore many things and be good at all of them?

I’ve always been drawn to multiple paths. I enjoy so many things - different skills, even different professions. And honestly, I feel I could switch directions at any point and still be fulfilled. I find joy in what I do now, and I trust I’ll find it in what I may do next. Of course, chasing many things might mean you never give your all to just one. Maybe you don’t become the next Picasso. But then, on a visit to Mumbai, I walked into the Da Vinci Experience and something shifted. Leonardo da Vinci wasn’t just a painter—he was a sculptor, architect, engineer, anatomist, scientist, inventor, mathematician, musician, and philosopher. He blurred the lines between art and science, proving that curiosity has no boundaries. He was literally everything, and not all of it even connected. He wasn’t limited by one title, one field, or one identity. That helped me realize what’s truly special about being good at multiple things. When you explore different fields, you start seeing the world in ways others might not. You begin to connect ideas across disciplines.

We may not be Da Vinci, but we can be more than one thing. Especially in this age of AI, where careers are evolving and possibilities are expanding, maybe the real edge lies in being curious, adaptable, and endlessly passionate.

And maybe… that’s enough.