A look at how I’ve used Applied Serendipity in my own life lately:

CARE: It took me awhile, but I finally have what Virginia Woolf called A Room of One’s Own, specifically the space and time to create, think, write, and do (or do nothing). Many of us spend much of our lives caring for others, working, and just trying to keep it together—so having time for ourselves may be a luxury.  After decades of working and caring, I now have that luxury and my creativity is unleashed. In retrospect, I should have made more time for myself earlier in my life. Here I am in my atelier, my craziest and most creative room of my own. Every woman who has seen this little off-the-grid cabin studio loves it; every husband who sees it says “my wife would love this.” I encourage you to make your version of your room of your own, whatever works for where you are in life. A friend of mine also called this concept a “power center” or altar, a restorative and inspirational space with objects that inspire. 

PREPARE: My atelier looks over a wild and magical garden, one of the most creative collaborations and soulful projects I’ve ever done. The bulbs have bloomed, and now the perennials we put in last year are emerging. This weekend I planted sanguisorba, clematis viticella, and thalictrum in dense, rocky soil that was once a creekbed—I have the blisters to show for it. Digging deep is hard but worth it…

SHARE: I often have my best ideas in my atelier. Much of what I talked about last week at the Women in Data Summit came from ideas I developed in the woods. Today as I was watching the birds fly by and the grasses sway, I developed core ideas for my upcoming Chief Data Officer Leadership class for Carnegie Mellon. I still can feel guilty for doing what seems like nothing, and sometimes it is nothing—but what’s wrong with that? And the nothing space is also my most open, free and generative space. I am just beginning to realize how important it is to have time and space.  

AWARE: One of the books I read in my atelier is Tolstoy’s A Calendar of Wisdom. Tolstoy considered this work to be his greatest contribution to humanity—he spent years curating, organizing, and adding his own thoughts to this diverse collection of the finest wisdom and philosophy of the ages. There’s a page for each day of the year with quotes and readings along with Tolstoy’s own reflections. It was widely read in pre-revolutionary Russia, and then censored for nearly 100 years. What a gift that it’s been rediscovered and translated into English. On the days I go to the atelier, I read the day’s wisdom and catch up on the days I’ve missed. It’s become one of my most sacred rituals.

DARE: I’m daring myself to practice what I preach—to prioritize my own needs, boundaries, and value;  speak up for those who can’t; and advocate wherever I can. Women still are under-represented in almost all positions of leadership across sectors and are underpaid and undervalued at all levels. Enough!