• Finding Work Life Balance

    March 4, 2010 // 1 Comment »

    I work a lot. I probably work way too much. When I took my current position (more than a year ago at this point) I put in crazy hours. Those hours weren’t a phase but a constant in my life – early mornings, late nights, weekends, taking work home, you know the drill. In addition to working I was heavily involved with various other initiatives – BGCS, SwirlPhilly, etc.. Over the last year many of those things were pushed off of my plate. Ok full stop – I pushed them off of my plate. I have to take some ownership of this. I don’t think it was intentionally. I was already invested in the mission of the agency I worked before I ever accepted the offer to join their staff.  It definitely intensified when I came on board. I don’t regret it for a second.

    Nevertheless, I think I lost a part of my identity independent of where I worked. Everything sort of blended together and I lost sight of where one ended and the other began. Perhaps I became too invested. Is that even possible? This is not to say that being as invested and committed to our mission is a bad thing, but rather that a lot of other things I was/am passionate about went to the wayside. I really miss them and want to get connected again.

    I have been feeling very lost lately and I think it has to do with a lot of lack of balance in my life. I am not engaging in enough activities that bring me joy personally. I know we often talk about professional and personal realms blending in the non profit world, that it seems to be a natural occurance, but I am not sure if that is at all healthy. I think there needs to be boundary. Otherwise, burnout is a surity!

    I miss dancing. I keep wanting to get back into a dancing groove. I took a class on Saturday. The Medic and I went out Saturday night to Brasil’s. While I am not going to make class tonight, I am going to make it a point to go Saturday mornings. The dance schedule has completely shifted at Estilo, so I am going to have to go back to check which classes are being offered when.

    I miss blogging with a mission. I am blogging with an outdated mission.  Or perhaps I have drifted from the mission and just need to re-focus. The lifeblogging component has always been there, but it has definitely moved to the forefront over the last few months. Perhaps I am overthinking this, but I feel like the TDP brand is no longer clearly visible. Perhaps it really is time for a complete shift. I don’t know. I need to sit with this for a bit.

    I miss my Swirl family. I need to recharge our local chapter. I have been so busy with everything else that SwirlPhilly sort of driftet off of that proverbial plate of mine. I am going to reach out to all of the local members this weekend and set up socials for March, April and May, as well as a planning meeting. I hope to recruit one or two more individuals who are interested in serving as part of the leadership team.

    While work remains demanding and I am committed as ever to being a part of the agency’s long-term success, I also need to take more time to ensure my personal and professional success beyond the agency. I realize there are only 24 hours in the day – much to my shagrin – and if I ease up on work hours only to fill my plate with other things, I am going to end up with the same result…burnout.

    So, balance! There are many things I want to return to doing,but for now, dancing, blogging and SwirlPhilly are on my agenda.

    Do you find that your work and personal blend in together? How have you set boundaries in your life to attain and/or maintain balance?

    Posted in Career, Healthy Living, Relationship

    Philly Salsa Community United for Haiti!!

    February 4, 2010 // 2 Comments »

    So I am sitting here in my warm apartment tonight contemplating the last time I was out dancing – Brasil’s, Cuba Libre, The Reef…anything. It has been weeks.

    I am in full winter hibernation mode.

    It never fails. I get this way every year after the holidays. After all of the commotion of the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, I hit a lull. I become a complete homebody.

    Can I just say that the timing is bad this year. I have dance rehearsal twice a week for April’s Estilo performance. I haven’t kept to my standard weekly dance schedule since I went home to Jax for Christmas.

    Salsa is my therapy. The Medic can attest to how much I wig out when I don’t get my fix. Nevertheless, the power of hibernation has won over for the last few months.

    I am back into the swing of things as of tomorrow night:

    • Tues, 630pm-730pm salsa
    • Thurs, 630pm-930pm salsa/bachata
    • Fri, 9pm Brasil’s or Cuba Libre
    • Saturday, 1030am-230pm rehearsal and salsa
    • Saturday, 9pm Brasil’s
    • Sunday, 1-3pm dance rehearsal

    Speaking of dancing….if you like salsa, bachata, merengue, etc. and want to make a difference in the lives of Hatians who have been impacted by the earthquake, check out an upcoming event at Brazil’s:

    Date: Thursday, Feb. 11th
    Time: 9pm-2am
    Location: Brasil’s Nightclub
    (112 Chestnut St. Phila., PA)

    Join Us As Our Salsa Community Unites! Here’s your chance to help those affected by the recent events in Haiti, all while doing what you love to do most!

    DJs United: DJ Jay Rockwell, DJ La Clave, DJ Jose Rodriguez, DJ Jose Maldoado; Salsa Lesson by: Vikki Woods & “Big” George Dennis; Also Featuring Great Raffles and Special Live Performances!

    All DJ’s and Instructors have donated their time for this event and 100% of the proceeds will go to the relief effort on behalf of the Salsa community.

    Admission: Requested $10 donation (The beneficiary chosen is the American Red Cross). YOUR DONATION DOUBLED!!! Jones New York has generously agreed to match any donations made from our fundraiser, so whatever you can give, it will be doubled!

    Jeans & Shoe Donations Needed! We will also be accepting new and gently worn jeans and shoes for the people in Haiti the night of the fundraiser.

    More info on Charity Organizations and their help with Haiti:
    American Red Cross
    Soles4Souls
    Teens For Jeans
    (Aéropostale Store will donate one brand new pair of jeans for every pair of donated jeans!)


    Posted in Activism, Fundraisers, Salsa