By Carissa Reiniger
The names “Carissa Reiniger” and “BlackBerry” had become one in my mind over the years. I was an “early adopter,” owning one of the first bulky, blue devices that took two hands to support, later graduating to sleeker upgrades as BlackBerry grew in popularity. I have a BlackBerry graveyard filled with devices from my past that I will clearly never use again, but for some reason cannot bring myself to throw away. You get the point. My name is Carissa Reiniger and I am a BlackBerry addict.
My company is now almost five years old and throughout that time, my BlackBerry has been my lifeline. I realized about a year ago that I could not survive five minutes without checking for that flashing red light. I also found it difficult to get through an entire meeting without excusing myself to check it. The day it conked out and left me ‘BlackBerryless,’ I climbed the walls until a replacement arrived. It was the closest I have come to a panic attack in years.
It was a day of revelation—I was allowing a little electronic unit to control my life. BlackBerrys have only been on the market a few years; clearly, the world had functioned quite effectively for a long time without them. Add to that the realization I am really not THAT important. The world will continue to spin whether or not I respond to a message within hours versus seconds.
Realizing how much I’d permitted my work life to spin out of control, I realized it was time to regain some normalcy. I began “My Campaign to Become a Better Version of Me.” The plan: to work on the five most important areas of my life: career, emotional/mental health, physical health, spiritual health and relationships.
Part of my emotional/mental health commitment is to plan two vacations every year: no BlackBerry…no access to “weekday reality.” In 2009, I visited Paris for two weeks, then toured Uganda and Egypt for two weeks. Over those four weeks, my BlackBerry did not exist.
A number of things happened.
My creativity sparked. While mulling big-picture issues and possible solutions, my clarity piqued. I was deluged with fresh ideas for improving company structure, solving staffing problems, and adopting new ways to trigger growth—ideas that had been buried under my BlackBerry preoccupation.
I remembered all the activities I used to enjoy outside of work and I rekindled old passions. I began to read books again, simply for pleasure. I attended cultural events. I caught up on the latest hockey stats.
I spent more time talking to strangers—taking the time to truly get to know someone, not because I had an agenda. And many of those conversations ended up resulting in a realization or idea that ultimately helped my business.
What didn’t happen? No angry emails or calls received from people wondering where I was. No one really noticed my desertion. Not even my BlackBerry.
Carissa Reiniger is the President of Silver Lining Ltd., a company dedicated to helping small business grow. Author of Inspiring Entrepreneurs: How To Build Your Business To Its First Million, Reiniger speaks often on entrepreneurship and building businesses.