I heard a recent TED talk where the speaker said there is no such thing as work life balance. Something is being sacrificed at any given moment.
It reminded me of the quote I linked to in my blog several years back by Sheryl Sandberg.
I feel guilty when my son says, ‘Mommy, put down the BlackBerry, talk to me’ and that happens far too much. I think all women feel guilty. I think what’s interesting is I don’t know many men who feel guilty,
Another old gem on the topic is by my friend Jerry Colonna.
Right now this topic is back in full force on my Twitter feed where some venture capitalists are preaching about the need for entrepreneurs to work hard.
Here’s the thing.
The vast majority of entrepreneurs already work intensely hard to say the least. They sacrifice so many things. Their families, their physical health and mental health. I was on the board of a company (that ended up failing) where the CEO was doing back to back red eyes while his mother was dying. The whole thing was beyond tragic. (He also has four children and a life partner).
So when a venture capitalist (which holds one of the most privileged jobs on this planet) preaches about hard work, I would like to request they get off their high horse and take a breath. Let’s find out how to support these founders (to whom we owe so much) and give them the help and support they deserve.
And for fucks sake, let’s show a little respect and empathy.
Because, lord knows, the world can use a little more of it.