Risk & Business Magazine Gifford Associates Fall 2017 | Page 11

A WORKAHOLIC’S LESSON
him to bed. My husband and I began to
question if we were going to be able to
sustain the marriage, or what was left
of it.
It all became too much, and in early
December, I went to a hotel’s 22nd floor
balcony and called my husband saying I
couldn’t do life anymore.
On December 14, I was hospitalized for
severe depression and sent to a mental
hospital for six days. They took my
shoelaces, my hairbrush, my hardcover
books, my hoodie sweatshirt, my
shampoo, and yes, my coveted iPhone.
It was exactly how it’s portrayed in the
movies, unfortunately.
NOT HAVING
ANY
ACCESS TO
TECHNOLOGY
FOR SIX
DAYS WAS
ANOTHER
ONE OF THE
BIGGEST
BLESSINGS
AND LESSONS
FOR ME THIS
YEAR.
I highly recommend everyone reading
this to do a technology detox, and
often. And not just your phone—all
technology.
So, where am I today? Today, I’m in a
lot of counseling and working with
doctors to find the right combination
of medicine to fight depression and get
me back to full capacity. I’m working
to mend and understand personal
relationships and continue to remind
myself that I don’t have people’s lives
in my hand like a surgeon. I’m selling
software, not trying to save a person’s
life. Perspective, people. If you start
thinking this way, I promise you’ll start
evaluating life differently. I know I do.
Here are the most important lessons I’ve
learned this year after love and loss:
Hug and call your family members
often. You never know when it’ll be
your last time. Sometimes unexpected
layovers happen for a reason.
Work can wait. On your deathbed,
you’re not going to wish you had spent
more time in the office.
Remember when you lose a deal or a
customer cancels a subscription that
doctors and surgeons lose patients
daily—PERSPECTIVE.
Sometimes people are put in your life
and you don’t know why. Be cautious
and evaluate if they’re a blessing or a
lesson. This is something I continue to
evaluate.
Work and value your real-life
relationships, not your digital
relationships. Your real-life
relationships are what shape you as
a person, not the digital facade you
portray.
Detox from ALL technology often.
Be authentic and more vulnerable. Don’t
just share the good; share the bad, too.
My experience living with depression
and seeing firsthand what goes on in a
mental hospital has created a passion
and fire in me to do more for the mental
health community. Once I recover more,
a top focus of mine will be volunteering
my time with communities in this
arena.
Here’s to a healthy 2017—both
mentally and physically—and to a more
authentic, vulnerable self. +
Lindsey Boggs has always been a performer,
even from a young age. She started voice
and piano lessons at age 7 and her entire
upbringing was surrounded by music
workshops, summer theatre academies and
countless hours honing her craft. Through
high school she won countless national
awards and had the honor of singing for
United States Presidents and Congressmen.
Additionally, she has sung all over the globe
including two tours in Europe.
Lindsey set a goal in 2015 to get noticed
enough that LinkedIn would ask her to
speak at their sales conference, and that
goal was attained. Not only did Lindsey
earn a 45-minute private breakout session,
but she was also was recognized for having
the highest Social Selling Index (SSI) score at
the conference. Having the highest SSI score
at the conference came with an ultimate
recognition: sharing a stage with Shaquille
O’Neal and shooting free throws on stage.
In 2016, Lindsey opened her own consulting
business to teach sales organizations
social selling practices through Interactive
Webinars and Onsite Sales Workshops. In
addition, Lindsey provides keynotes for
co