It's Your Life - Make It Count - SGIA Expo Session

At the Women in Print Alliance Breakfast, keynote speaker Fawn Germer, Premier Leadership and Work Life Balance Speaker, urged women to “Make decisions based on what you want to do to get a full life.”

In 2017, SGIA (Booth 2245) launched the Women in Print Alliance with three goals: to attract more women to the industry, to retain them once they are there and to advance their positions through a series of mentoring, education and professional development. At the Expo on Wednesday was the group’s first official event, the Women in Print Alliance Breakfast, with keynote speaker Fawn Germer, Premier Leadership and Work-Life Balance Speaker.

It was an apt choice, as a survey the group conducted over the summer found that the top three contributors toward personal success in the industry were Financial Comfort, Overall Life Satisfaction and Work/Life Balance. Focusing on the third, Germer stressed to attendees that “Life is not about balance - it is about choices.”

She drove home the point that every decision has consequences, and it’s all about making the right ones. The things we value, Germer said, are more than just words. They are the choices we make every day to live our lives fully. “

A lot of people get stuck in the grind,” warned Germer, “and they need a reminder that’s not what life is all about. Because of technology, it’s possible to work 24 hours a day and still not be done. But the truth is you only get one life. Make decisions based on what you want to do to get a full life. If you make decisions based solely on what you think you should be doing, you’re missing the point.”

She also stressed that waiting until “tomorrow” to change is the wrong way to do it. “You don’t get a warning letter that your life is about to be drastically different,” said Germer. “It just changes.” She also stressed, “If you have to wait to be completely comfortable with something before you do it, you’re missing out on life. When you steer yourself up to dare to do something hard ... there’s real power in that.”

She also noted that women, especially, spend their lives avoiding hard conversations. “We might spend years miserable because we’re trying to avoid a three-15 minute uncomfortable conversation,” she said. “If you buck up and do it, you save yourself the misery.”

She left attendees with a copy of her book "Work-Life Reset," which shows you how to reboot your work-life balance to live a more meaningful, productive life without regrets. “It’s your moment. Your rules. Your terms,” Germer said. “This is the beginning of something great for you.”