Michael

Experience is an asset of which no worker can be cheated, no matter how selfish or greedy his immediate employer may be. - Napoleon Hill

Experience. It’s one of our most powerful assets. I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of experience as the last day at my current company draws near.

Regardless of the change in career, job or role, your experience can be adapted and used in your new position. Many of us forget this simple statement when applying for a new job. That experience can be broken down into several categories: managing people, running projects, improving process, brainstorming, designing and implementing strategic initiatives, production and etc.

Experience hones our thought processes and enables us to apply our knowledge in non similar situations. We don’t really need to do the exact same thing in order to benefit from our experience.

I talk about this today because many of us tend to forget what we really have to offer (i.e. experience) to others or another company. I also want to remind myself. It really helps to allay fears when going through major job or career transitions.

So, don’t forget about what you’ve done as that can apply to everything that you will do.

Have a great day!

Michael

It is bad luck to fall out of a thirteenth story window on Friday. - American Proverb

After long, hectic weeks, Fridays are very welcome in my world. I look forward to the morning and my anticipation and excitement only increases as the day wears on. I used to think how sad it was that we look forward to Friday sometimes only because we don’t like our job. Others like Fridays because they have two days off and they don’t like their job.

I decided I don’t want that to be my reason anymore, so I’m exploring ways to make every day a Friday. That way, you get the best of both worlds. It’s your last day of work for the week and you have two days off.

Obviously, this may end up being more of a mental trick but I’ve been thinking that if you love the work you are doing, it will feel more like Friday. In other words, your day will be exhilarating but for different reasons than it is the last day of work for the week.

I’m currently looking for jobs and or opportunities to make a living that give me exactly that freedom and exhilaration I’m talking about it.

“Every day a Friday” I love the concept. More later as the story unfolds.

Michael

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it. - Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris

Don’t let your mind bully your body into believing it must carry the burden of its worries. - Astrid Alauda

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward. - Spanish Proverb

Wow! The last two days have been incredibly stressful. So much so, I questioned my decision to stay an extra 60 days at my current (old) job.

But, I did make that decision and I still feel that it was the right one. After getting into a fit of frustration by the end of day on Monday, I decided it was time to act. It took me almost two hours to get myself into a calm state. That was a long time especially for me.

Today was quite tough also, but I managed to keep the frustration in check much better than yesterday. Still, the stress level was high. After about 10 hours I stopped and did some relaxing things outside. I felt better. My plan is to get a good night’s sleep so that I will be ahead of another long day on Wednesday.

The plan is too not let things stress me out like Monday and Tuesday. I will take breaks and some time for myself to relax. One of the best things I’ve found is to just stop what you are doing and take a walk outside for as little as 10 minutes. You’ll thank yourself later.

Michael

Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun. - Colleen C. Barrett

Friday the 13th was supposed to be my last day with the company I’m currently working for. An unexpected event occurred which prompted a reevaluation of my last day.

After several discussions, I agreed to stay 63 more days. My new last day is August 15th.

How do I feel about this change? Excellent question. The simple answer is that I wouldn’t have agreed to this new direction if I didn’t like it. I let it sit with me for a few days before making my final decision. The bottom line is that it felt right. I didn’t have any thoughts or feelings of "this is a bad decision."

So, here I am ramping up to manage the workload for the next two months. It feels a little strange as I had been heavily ramping down the last three months.

You just never know exactly how your life will go or the plot twists that will happen. All I know is what I want and desire. I just let the universe figure out the details.

Michael

I went to my “Last Day at Work” party tonight after flying in from Warsaw, Poland. And yes, I was a little bit tired as you can imagine.

A lot of my co-workers showed up. We had a fun time at Dave & Busters playing games, laughing, drinking, eating, reminiscing about old times and sharing “war stories.” It’s always hard to leave a place that you have been with for a long time. In this case, since 1992.

The people I’ve met and worked with are the most difficult reason to leave. I’ve been fortunate in meeting some of the most amazing people working at this company. It’s been a fantastic ride. I hope to keep in touch with many of them.

As I wind down, the winds have shifted slightly foretelling a slight extension in my time here. Nothing confirmed yet, but this chapter could go on for another 60 days or so. We’ll see how it works out. Either way will be just fine.

Michael

I’m back in Warsaw, Poland for four days to help with the roll out of a major new tool within the company I currently work for. It was quite a surprise as I didn’t expect to be back here so soon.

But, I’m fairly adaptable with changing plans. That’s one good thing I’ve learned in my position over the last few years. Change is not as fear inducing as it used to be. I’m not saying I don’t have problems with change still, but it is far less than seven years ago.

One new of way thinking for me is to view change as a new adventure. Since I like adventures now in my life, change seems to be a natural part of that new way of thinking. Adventures (i.e. changes) are good as they keep you on your toes, both in your thinking and adaptation skills.

The flight was good in one respect. I was in business class. But two things took some patience and adaptability. The plane was quite bumpy for 90% of the trip from Newark to Warsaw. I’m much better at handling that but after seven hours I was starting to feel woozy.

Secondly, to add to the already woozy feeling was the bad odor emanating from the guy next to me. It was quite overwhelming. All seats were filled so I had nowhere to go. So, I had to adapt and quickly. For large periods of time, I kept my pillow over my face. The rest of the time, I tried to keep my head turned to the right. My technique worked most of the time.

Phew! I was very grateful for landing; more so than usual. It took me a couple of hours to get my stomach settled down.

Here’s to less smelly travel.

Michael

Last night, some of my closest work friends took me to dinner. It ended up being a combination going away dinner as another work colleague was leaving also. There were nine of us total; not too big, not too small.

These are really good people and we have a lot of mutual respect for each other. All of us have quite a dry sense of humor. It makes for interesting conversation sometimes.

The most difficult part about leaving this company is the people. I’ve never met a higher caliber group of people than with my current company. Year after year for almost 16 years, I’ve continually been blessed with working with individuals that display a high work ethic, integrity, know how to have fun and how to jump in and solve problems quickly. It’s quite amazing.

I wish all of them well wherever the road takes them and want to recognize the dedication that every last one of my work friends displays on a daily basis.

I hope to continue to stay in contact with many of my work friends.

Michael

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. - Helen Keller

There is no security on this earth. Only opportunity. - Douglas MacArthur

I’m nearing the end of my term with the company I’m currently working for. Other doors are starting to open. Opportunities are beginning to reveal themselves for my review.

I don’t find this kind of change to be easy, but it appears to be a really good thing. The timing is right. Everything in my world is showing me that this is the best move.

Each week I become conscious of a new idea or group of ideas; translation - opportunities. I’m pursuing two or three now to see what happens. For the first time, I’m letting my heart make the decisions here and not my mind. It’s a completely different approach for me and it brings its own set of misgivings and anxiety. But, that’s okay. Life is just a big experiment, right? And you can’t get it wrong.

I’ll reveal the many opportunities that are flowing my way as the days pass, but it’s too early at this time. They are still in the process of germination and early growth.

For now, I’m practicing the art of faith and belief in myself. That’s all I can ask for.

Michael

It’s a good time to leave my career. I’ve been feeling that even more strongly as the days wind down. Emotionally, it’s been a bit like a roller coaster ride. Some days I’m okay with it and others I seem to be staring at an immense abyss. Clarity and relaxation come with acceptance.

I’ve told myself that I like adventure, but I’ve found that sometimes when you are face to face with the advent of an adventure, it can be uncomfortable. I’m relaxed about that now and look forward to what is about to happen.

My last day is Friday, June 13th. Now, most people would view this as a terrible time to leave and a bad omen. For me, though, it confirms the “beauty” of the timing of things. For my entire life, Friday the 13th days have turned out to be some of the best in my memory. The number 13 has not always been associated with bad things. It’s more of recent historical trend.

Regardless of your belief about Friday the 13th, I look at this day as a perfect ending and perfect beginning in my life. That’s all that really matters.

Have a great day!

Michael

Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. - Harvey Mackay

The most important question to ask on the job is not ‘What am I getting?’ The most important question to ask on the job is ‘What am I becoming?’ - Jim Rohn

As I get closer and closer to the end of my current career chapter, I find some days are up and others are down. It’s the contrast between two internal voices. One is very positive, believes that I have no limitations and views the future as bright. The other is fearful and doesn’t understand how I will survive.

That’s quite a contrast. So, I’m practicing detachment from the myriad of feelings that are going on inside. It helps but I’m finding that I must be diligent and conscious about what is going on. Anytime we go through change or transformational times in our lives, it’s vital that we stay conscious. If we slip into repressing our feelings, it can cause much anxiety, stress and a negative outlook on life.

Tonight I examined my feelings of fear and the negative talk that is occurring in one part of mind. All I did was watch. I had no judgment. I did not fight with my feelings (see my post on May 15th, What you Resist, Persists ). A strange thing happened. My inner negative talk grew softer and quieter. Hmmmm. I might be on to something here.

Life is grand.

Have a great day!

Michael