It’s time to multiply the voices.

No, I’m not talking about the voices in my head. For years, the voice of this blog has been mine, but going forward it will be the voice of many, sharing their views and experiences as teachers of awareness in the workplace, as well as thoughtful, provocative and sometimes cynical research around this topic. 

I am talking about the voices of new consultants joining the Simple Intentions team to speak about and support corporate consciousness. Yes, Simple Intentions is growing, adding unique consultants with different corporate backgrounds but all united in a common belief that the power and skill of awareness can transform the way people live and work around the world.  

Our website, too, is new, and includes a Resource page where we are building a collection of conscious content as it relates to the workplace. I will still post from time to time, with the intention of sharing my experiences teaching and speaking around the globe. And of course, I’ll continue to post photos of my travels on Instagram (Simplejae1).  It is with humble gratitude and childlike excitement that I welcome the many voices of Simple Intentions.

Simple Intentions

It’s been awhile since I posted to this blog.  Though I made no public declaration, it was intentional to stop.   I began to feel my efforts were contributing to the clutter that I speak and write about minimizing.   In some ways I saw blogging about balance as a contradiction and my fear was (and still is) this will seep into the clutter.  I also stopped tweeting, abandoned my company Facebook pages and made the choice to not publish any of my seven books as e-books. 

I know, I know, it was a bit extreme and Luddite of me; but at the time, it felt right.   I listened with cynicism to the voices of peers (many peers) and advisors touting the importance of creating a social media presence for my brand.  I felt overwhelmed by the volume of options at my fingertips to create, share, and continue “connection”.   I struggled with wrapping my mind around how to make the connection feel authentic.  (I still don’t how to do so.)  To be blunt, having Facebook likes or being retweeted didn’t (and still doesn’t) feel like I’m adding real value to world.

Then I saw this year some magic in people using these tools in heart centered ways – for example, the poet David Whyte, the author Brene Brown and Humans of New York.  And I felt inspired.  Beyond being in the room, I’m unsure of how to create meaningful connection. I don’t know if it’s possible for me to use social media with real soul, depth and sincerity, but I’m excited about what might be possible.  (Please keep expectations low as Humans of New York is a super high bar.) 

What does this all mean? My speaking engagements and workshops go on, alongside publishing printed books (I have to hold out somewhere).   Back is this new/old blog and a new FaceBook author page.  My intention is to write, share (and continue) the conversations I have around the world with teams in hopes of linking people struggling with work-life, workload, and energy balance.  What I’ve seen in six years and over 50 counties – we are more alike than different in our struggles with balance.   We are humans of the world, looking for love, acknowledgement and acceptance in all of our environments, at home, at work and the spaces in-between.

Moving forward blog posts will be made to my author page and no longer posted on my personal page.  (They might get lost between the endless photos of trees and flowers!)  Also new, is the blending of my publishing and consulting companies under the single brand Simple Intentions, all this change is guided by the simple intention to create and share conscious content that generates intentional conversations.  

Make way in the clutter, I’m looking to homestead.

The Next 5 Years

Where were you 5 year ago?  It seems like another lifetime to me.  It was when I made a choice that impacted and enriched my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined at the time.   It was 5 years ago this month that I left the comfort and security of my fulltime corporate communication job to start a consulting company focused on work-life balance. 

Many people thought I was nuts, (some still do) some wanted to quit with me and others watched with curiosity to see what would happen.   Turns out companies care more about their employees that what many employees might think or feel.  Turns out, people at all levels have a lot to say on this topic and the conversations show no signs of slowing down.  

Over the last 5 years I’ve noticed many things that I’ve made an attempt to capture in a think paper: From China to Chile:  The Challenges, Triggers, and Choices aboutWork-Life Balance.   Spoiler alert – work-life balance has nothing to do with the number of hours you work, your family structure or your gender.   

I’m grateful beyond words to have had the fortune to facilitate conversations on the topic in 20 countries and reach another 10 virtually.  These conversations and countless other in cafes, bars and airport lounges around the world have shaped this paper and deepened my awareness on the real issues humans face when it comes to seeking balance. 

Thank you to every person in my workshops, (and strangers on planes who sat next to me) for having the courage to be honest with themselves and me about what balance mean to them and what life would be like if they had it.

Here is to 2018 and thousands more conversations on the real issues surrounding the topic.  

Work-Life Balance: Beyond A Woman’s Issue

Sheryl Sandberg chief operating officer of Facebook and author of the new book Lean In is making waves on the topic of work-life balance and women in the workplace.  As an author and expert on work-life balance I’m grateful to see the issues getting media time in a new way.   If I’m being truthful, I feel mixed about her messages.

Don’t get me wrong –I love the conversation she is creating about women and ambition.  I absolutely agree and support her message and can identify with many times in my life where I didn’t lean in – where I sat back and watched; only now seeing that I was just as worthy as anyone else in the room to have a seat (and voice) at the table.

My mixed feelings come from some of the comments about work-life balance coming out of the conversation.  I fear the topic is being dragged back to the 1970’s when it was perceived as a working woman’s issue.  It is not, it is a human issue. 

I have worked with men and women in over 30 counties and I know first-hand the struggles to balance life is not gender specific.  Men and women might use different words to describe the pressures and emotions they are felling, but the outcome is the same – men and women both struggle with the choices and tradeoffs they feel are required to “make it” in the modern working world.

Sheryl thank you for bringing the conversation back in to the spotlight. Now let’s take it to the next level and talk about it as a human issue.  It’s time to open our eyes to the impact work-life balance is having on countries, companies and individuals around the world.    

Text or no Text

Why do you text someone and when is it ok text?  Really, why do you choose to send a text over calling, sending an e-mail or in some cases saying nothing at all?  

Texting is so fast and easy many times it’s hard to resist firing off a quick idea or thought, (or an update on arrival time) when in reality, it’s not necessary or the right tool to deliver the message.  Five years ago would you have called someone to say “parking now”?

Our relationship with our mobile devices is getting more and more complicated, we use it to call, e-mail, Skype, and text we work from it and run the rest our life from it. So when using it for 2-way communication one can assume there is a conscious choice to use a specific method to match the message.    

When it comes to texting, I’ve found people all over the map with why and when they use it and the choice isn’t very conscious at all. For example, I’ve been noticing my own texting habits.  A few times I sent texts with messages I’m not sure I’d say to face-to-face and I sent texts to avoid conversations.  I also sent texts for context on location and timing and some to make people feel good.  And when I made the effort to think about it there were many texts I didn’t send at all that became e-mails or conversations and some things I didn’t share at all.  What I learned for me is if I can’t say to someone – I will not text it.    

Coming back to the beginning - why do you text someone and when is it ok text?   (There is not right or wrong answer – only what is right for you.)

Working from Home

There has been quite a bit of buzz lately about work-life balance in the media.  One thing in particular people have been asking me about are the changes at Yahoo, where CEO Marissa Mayer has banished the work from home policy.   Some studies say over 26 million people work from home.  For each of those 26 million people I believe it’s a privilege to do so.  Companies do not have to offer this as a benefit, they choose to for many reasons and employees have come to expect as a given. 

From what I understand about the issue this wasn’t a random decision, the data showed that overwhelming employees were abusing the privilege and were not actually working when they said there were.  It takes an enormous about of discipline and commitment to one’s role to be able to successfully work at home, day after day.   As we talk about in my workshops – work is about outcomes not hours and location and if the outcomes are not there then changes to behavior have to be made – in this case the change made was around location.    

Now, if after a year when stronger work outcomes (hopefully) have been achieved if the policy maintains then I will have something different to say.  For now, each company is different and has its own unique challenges and goals and there are some cases and points in time where working from home is not the right thing for the company.   Part of any job is to support what is right for the company, especially if you are both and employee and stockholder in that company.  

 

Sit or Stand

There is more research on the the positive impact to productivity and moral when employees use standing desks.  An article posted today to Medcity News, states that standing at work can add as much as 2 years to your life.  Yup – 2 years – regardless of a person’s fitness level.    Even if your company doesn’t offer the option for standing workstations, if you are a corporate athlete, it’s worth considering how to get off your bum a bit more during the day.