Click on the webcomic to see it full-size.
The above webcomic is not about Girl Scouts. Or rather, not just about Girl Scouts. It’s about all the organizations and groups I’ve volunteered with over the last several years. I’ve had conversations about leadership and “leaning in” with all of them. Some of those conversations were subtle suggestions that I might take on more work. Others were outright demands for my time and energy. In the worst cases, people simply refused to believe that I do not exist just for them. So what if I have two kids, a husband, parents, and friends who need me? That’s not their problem. They don’t care that I have my own work that I love to do and don’t get nearly enough time to spend on it. And forget trying to tell these people that just like everyone else in the world, I only have a limited number of hours in the day.
“Get up earlier!” one person barked at me. “Then you’ll have more time for our organization AND your work. Sleep is for the DEAD!”
The problem with that, however, is that if I give up sleeping to do more volunteer work, I’ll be dead sooner rather than later.
I don’t want to die soon, and I don’t want to give up everything in my life to BE A LEADER AND SAVE THE WORLD. So when people who want to fill up all MY TIME with THEIR PRIORITIES tell me that I need to “lean in,” I remind them very firmly that I am leaning in, every single day. I lean into taking care of my kids, spending time with my husband, helping out my family and friends. I lean into drawing webcomics and digital art. I lean in like a BOSS when I sit down on the couch to crochet. Just because I choose to make my priorities MY PRIORITIES, that doesn’t mean I’m not a leader and I’m not leaning in.
It just means I choose which direction I lean instead of giving up my life’s direction to someone else. And that is the very definition of being a leader.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Lean back, relax, and enjoy the holiday.
That kind of crap is exactly why I avoid people.
I hear ya. I love volunteering, but my best defense is often to turn off email and not answer the phone. I’ve also scheduled work hours and work days on my calendar so that when people ask me to do stuff, I can say “Sorry, I have work scheduled at that time.” It makes a huge difference.
But yeah, avoiding people can be the best way to avoid those requests/demands.
Thank you SO MUCH for this reminder. It is exactly perfectly timed!!