An Update: When Less Is More

Instead of writing a blog post for you, I’m hunched over the kitchen counter drawing icing eyes on a fruit shishkabob caterpillar.

Welcome to the this-writer-has-toddlers stage.

Today, I bring you a blog update from the top of the block tower however. Picture me at a lego podium surrounded by news crew mics, while toting a diaper clad toddler with smashed banana on his face. It’s that kind of press release.

The things that shaped today’s update go back more than 10 years…

In 2003, I got approached by a publisher who gave me a truly awesome opportunity to enter the more public world of writing, speaking, and leading.

But to be honest, I was hesitant.

I was worried that writing books (and more than that, trying to **promote** them), would change me. Make me lose parts of myself. Subtract from my family.

I eventually got some good advice about opportunity and accountability and I pressed forward with so many beautiful projects. But I never lost the tension that comes with trying to publicly share my learnings, while simultaneously trying NOT to commercialize my soul or rob my family of well-being.

Sometimes I nailed the balance, and a few times I think I fell short, but all in all, a lot of good people came alongside me and made the journey wiser and less messy than it would’ve been had I been freestylin’ that whole first decade on my own. And because of that, I still have a lot of heart and energy to be part of these public conversations for decades to come.

It’s this same ongoing quest to endure and be well, though, that has led me to today.

Even though I’ve been managing my time carefully for five years, I’ve also decided to temporarily pull back from my two biggest energy consumers: producing events and writing books. At least until my littlest starts full-day school in 3 years.

I’m pretty sure that embracing such a slow season goes against every smarty-pants brand-building principle that ever was. That it could very well result in loss of career momentum and All The Other Horrible Things That We “Should” Fear Losing. But let me tell you something, Parents Everywhere.

Not a single second of it feels like sacrifice.

It feels like the chance to be most me with the people who are most mine.

So blessing beyond blessing, my sweet-tempered husband offers to turn our lives upside down, he cheers me on to take over the world. And instead, I sit curled up on the couch–a piece of human furniture with two boys cuddling on my lap–and find myself saying and meaning that no, for today, the deepest WANT is to be fully here.

So you’ll only see my touch lightly for a season. But during this stage, I’m doing some really neat and specific things to grow myself and slowly prep for what comes next, as I continue to shift more intentionally toward work around fostering extraordinary relationships.

I’ll drop updates here at the blog every so often just to say hello, and because I’ll be excited to share bits of ideas as they come to me.

Until then, love and blessings to you all. May you all find a rhythm that helps you and yours be well and endure for the long haul as well.  And please, continue to drop me a line on Facebook or Twitter any time your hearts so please.

Sarah