It's time to sit down and reflect on what has been happening and document it properly. I made the decision to leave my current employer after 11 years. It was a big decision. HUGE. MONUMENTAL. At least for me it was. I clearly dove in head first with this decision. I didn't just leave one company for another down the road.
No ma'am! No sir! No way, Jose!
Instead, I accepted a position with a company just about as far away from where I live, without leaving the continental U.S.
So here I sit, on a flight headed to the other side of the country. And yes, I am nervous. Tomorrow is my first day. I will be the "new person". I haven't been the "new person" in a long time. I like being that welcoming face for the new person. Yep...tomorrow...the master will once again become the student!
Leading up to this day, my time has been filled with a lot of emotion, planning, goodbyes, and generally shocked looks on people's faces when I told them the news, "I accepted a role with Starbucks and me and the family are moving to Seattle."
I'm not gonna lie...seeing peoples reaction was...interesting. I'd say entertaining, because not everyone took the news well. I'm not going to touch on the "not so great" w. They were few, and justified for some.
Its the positive responses that now carry me to the next chapter in my career (and life)...that and this Boeing 737-900ER I'm comfortably flying in. It has OUTLETS! For my devices!!! This is the newest plane I have ever been on. I've flown a nice number of times, but THIS is the newest plane I have had the pleasure of sinking my behind into to FIVE HOURS!
I digress.
A job is a job is a job. Anyone who has worked for any amount of time will say that. It's the people that make any job a great place to work. But it's not the only thing that matters. If that were the case, I would not have left my last job. I loved the people I worked with. They were top notch folks.
But with anyone's career, there comes a point when you are standing at a fork in the road and you must decide which path to take. For me, "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." That is a line from my most favorite poem of one of my favorite poets, "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost.
I'm not blazing new roads for all human kind here...no. I'm blazing my own new trail. But it's the support of my family, friends and co-workers who are helping to make this journey a little less scary. I will hold onto the kinds words, warm hugs, and my Atlanta mug for those times when I am get stuck and think I can't do something. I know I can do this and will be successful at it to boot!
Now, it is time for me to take the left coast by storm and go learn something new! Stay tuned...
