On Thursday I spent about 9 hours inside a hotel attending a conference.

It was a great event: food, speakers, breakouts, vendors, familiar faces, new faces…all energizing and inspiring.

But around the 5 hour mark I started to hit the wall, realizing the pace of the day and energy of the space was getting to me.😔

I don’t spend 8 hours in a row anywhere these days (except maybe home).

I have the luxury of working in different places and changing tasks or locations almost anytime I want.

Apparently, I really thrive on that – much more than I knew.

I forgot how draining it can be – being in the same place hour after hour (day after day).

My corporate career consisted of long hours in event, conference and trade show management.

During prime weeks I would enter a building by 7am and often not leave until almost midnight😴

Same building. All. Day. Long!

Sure, there were breaks, but still, it’s no wonder I burned out!!🔥

At the time, I blamed my breakup with corporate culture on the type of work, the pace, and the hours … never considering how much the environment had contributed.

On Thursday afternoon, as I was waiting for the next program to begin, I wondered how everyone in traditional business settings can stand spending 8 hours or more a day inside the same spaces?!

Honestly, how?!??

All that artificial light … all the beige walls … all the temperature controlled air 😱😱

Imagine if all builders, businesses and institutions paid attention to this and took better care to balance their interior spaces.

☀️More windows and natural light…

☀️More elements from nature…

☀️More color…

☀️More fresh air…

(Yup, this is what I daydream about between break outs sessions!)

And I’ll tell you what would happen …

✳️People would be happier….

✳️They’d work harder and learn better…

✳️And be willing to stay longer…

✳️They’d have more energy at the end of the day …

✳️So they’d have better family time…

✳️Everyone would be healthier too…

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

It seems like a no-brainer!

An investment that would pay off from the bottom to the top.

It’s another reason why I do the work I do …

Because it makes a difference for people … from the conference attendee to all the corner offices …

And the return on investment is always worth it.