March On

Coming back to the computer to put words to page has been harder than I thought it would be. The past three years have been a time of incredible change; getting married, moving to a new city, experiencing intense start-up life, leaving my job to pursue my dream of yoga teacher training, saying forever goodbye to very close loved ones, and watching the American political system fall to pieces. I have lost myself and found myself over and over again, to find myself here – in this place right now – starting once again on a new foot. This time, it feels a bit less free flowing and more intentional.

So now, where to begin?

These days, there is a lot to talk about. It’s an exciting time to be alive.

We are deep into the Information Age, where the internet rules and data is oil. Tracking people’s movements and clicks and genomes and faces is now commonplace, and something we are continuously allowing at our own free will.

Smart phones and apps have given us the world at our fingertips, no matter where we are. There are so many ways for us to connect. And yet, we all feel more disconnected than ever before. Anxiety and depression are rampant in our society. Suicide rates have increased by over 25% in the past 20 years. By opening access to our time and ourselves, we have created a sort of paralysis and paranoia. By exposing the world online, it has unfortunately shown us the dark side of our nature. A dark side fueled by fear. The empath in me can’t ignore how much help we all need to find our courage.

I am definitely not saying it is all bad. Advances in medicine are creating more fulfilling lives as we move into our later years. The sharing economy has created new ways for people to make money, and created a focus on sustainability instead of excess. The world has become more accessible, and traveling to explore different countries and cultures has become more common place.

As technology continues to get more advanced, and permeates every part of our lives, it is fascinating to think about how our future is going to take form. The Information Age has democratized influence and empowered the people. Will this power bring us together, or drift us further apart?  

What I have learned through my recent years of self-exploration is that my contribution to this story will be about bringing us together. Through space, work, technology, community; we are stronger together. Through my work, I am seeing that corporations are seeing incredible value in fostering collaboration and investing in a “people first” methodology. If businesses are seeing the value, my hope is that society and politics are not far behind.

New beginnings happen every moment, and they are not stuck or stagnant. New beginnings are fresh and hopeful. They allow us to take what we have experienced and learned, and apply it while marching in a new direction. And in my ideal world, marching hand-in-hand with some of my fellow humans.

March on!