life

Online Vs Offline Self

December 06, 2010 · By Sloane Davidson, Founder and CEO, Hello Neighbor

**"I'm always doing things I can't do. That's how I get to do them." - Pablo Picasso. **

Sometimes, man, time just passes us by. Even with the best of intentions to-do lists get longer, email inboxes fill, and we find ourselves short on time, short on getting behind the eight ball and all seems like a big hopeless mess.

I'm no different. And often, when I feel my online self slipping it's because I'm juggling a lot in my offline real world self. Or I have a lot on my mind. Or I'm incubating projects, working with clients and neck deep in new business development. But there is one more scenario to consider. Enjoying the day, celebrating with friends and getting out from behind this computer screen that is often both my saviour, source of information but also, at times, takes me away from that real world self that I so crave.

This past month has been just such a scenario. I went to Ghana for two weeks as I blogged that I would, delivering malaria nets through Infanta Malaria for Netting Nations, visiting tech companies in Accra to learn about the economic development opportunities around technology in Ghana (and Africa at large, spending time with the Millennium Cities Initiative as part of The Earth Institute and let's not forget meeting the Kiva Fellows currently serving in Ghana and going back to my own Fellowship memories by accompanying them on borrower visits and group meetings.

Taylor and I have so much to share, and we'll be rolling it out in a variety of ways. We have pieces soon to be published in other outlets online and off and can't wait to share those with you. We did share some limited updates while we were gone, but we really wanted to live the experience fully. Be in Ghana (which let's face it has limited connectivity) and not obsess over having to be online. We did check in with clients and our parents, but beyond that we allowed ourselves to relish in the experience and the now appreciating the trip for what it was, a very special and unique experience that we put a lot of heart, soul and planning into.

Now that we've returned and I've dug out of the black hole of email and catching up on all of my responsibilities, I can focus on what brings me joy - this blog. I feel like I do things all the time that people say are impossible, or out of the box. Why? Because why not? I want to share it all, lay it all on the table for all the world to see, but sometimes I do need to ruminate on things for awhile and consider exactly what I want to say and how I want to portray my thoughts. I've been having an internal struggle over some of these issues. I have a lot on my mind and I'm not sure if by not sharing it here I did a disservice to myself or a favor because I let it sift and filter out in my journal and in conversations with close friends giving me greater clarity to put it all in writing. But at the end of the day, The Causemopolitan is a huge part of who I am and I can only step away for so long until I miss it and it beckons me back. I think things we love are like that, they fill our soul in ways we can't always define. For that, I'm hopeful to find the words within myself to share here with everyone. So here's to celebrating my time offline, it was a welcome break to return to center and come back better and stronger than before.