The best thing I could’ve ever done for my mental health was to cowork. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, working from home was/is isolating. That shouldn’t come as a surprise unless you’ve only considered the perceived benefit of productivity when working from home. Remember that productivity comes at the expense of community, collaboration, and celebration. Today I’m focusing on that last one for a bit … I suggest you pour yourself a glass of wine (or coffee if it’s too early to imbibe) before reading on.
Creating Community
We’ve written about surrounding ourselves with kickass coworkers. Freelancing, entrepreneurship, consulting, outside sales … there’s no reason you need to stay holed up in the windowless corner of your dining room table to get work done, giving yourself a pat on the back every time you land a client or sale. Coworkers offer high fives, hugs, and smiles in spades for every celebratory moment.
It was incredibly important for Melissa and me to focus our efforts on creating a community of like-minded coworkers, not just a space. The coworking space is there in the background, only providing the foundation for collaboration and celebrations to take place. This amazing community has supported us as we built Haven and they are the first ones we want to share any good news with. The Haven Community isn’t only there for us though; they support one another every day, celebrating big and small wins, assisting one another to grow personally and professionally.
Sharing Successes
Our amazing members are also there for one another when sh*t goes wrong. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the forest through the trees. Sometimes it’s impossible to see the silver lining. Coworkers are there for these moments too, celebrating the end of a chapter and the start of a new one. These relationships that we build don’t happen overnight, but they only can’t happen isolated at home. One day at a time, one conversation by the water cooler at a time, one shared story over a glass of wine all lead up to strong relationships that keep us sane while we search for a new job opportunity or client, and make us smile and laugh while we ring the bell on a closed deal.
Today, I celebrate each and every current member of Haven as well as every future member as they join our community (our family). I raise a glass to coworking: isolation no more!