After 6 months at this blogging thing, I find myself at a bit of a crossroads. I was talking about it earlier today with my BFF (Blogger Friend Forever) Chris Fields. I did not anticipate how well-received I would be by the online HR community, how much encouragement and energy I would get from them — and the dissonance it would cause in my daily worklife.

Don’t misunderstand me. I know I am a good writer and a particularly good storyteller. I’ve always loved writing and I know it is connected to my life’s mission and purpose. So I believed my work would be well-received. But I didn’t anticipate that people would care about ME — the actual person behind the posts.

Yet I find that people like me. They really like me! And I find myself liking them and wanting to connect with the HR online community in more meaningful ways. I not only want to read what they are writing — but I want to know what they are thinking and feeling and doing, both in HR and in their other pursuits. Sharing my journey and sharing in theirs has turned out to be one of the most worthwhile parts of this experience.

Yet I struggle because I cannot share very much of this wonderful thing I’ve found in my daily worklife. The overwhelming majority of people I work with still don’t have any interest in all the great things going on in social media and online communities. And most days it feels like I am the only one consistently seeking ways to integrate HR and ensure our policies, procedures and practices line up with our strategy and goals … although I’m pretty sure that is more in my head than in reality.

Yet I am left wondering what to do next in my worklife to bring similar harmony as what I find in my blog life. And I figured there were probably some other people out there facing the same challenge. So here’s what I suggest …

• Get over yourself. In my case, I have to get over myself. Every person and every organization is at a different place on their path. Just because I’ve found this wonderful thing and want to share it doesn’t mean my peers and my organization have to receive it. In fact, if they receive it before they are ready for it, it could do more harm than good. So I (and those like me) have to accept that they are in different spaces in this moment and it is OK.
• Change focus. So often I (and those like me) get so focused on what should be done that we forget about what needs to be done. Look for the holes and how to most efficiently fill them — with the ultimate goals of the organization and what fulfills you in mind. From there, you can baby step toward the ideal space. The process and progress should be enough to calm and fuel you. That’s winning for all involved.

It’s not always easy. It’s not always fun. But it is necessary … for now.

What are some things you do to bring harmony when you feel your worklife is out of balance?