Michael

My first week at the new consulting job is complete. Wow, it was definitely an adjustment after being on vacation for 5 1/2 months. My sleep and eating patterns were off. I had to be quite patient and slowly ease into the new schedule. I expect next week to be even better as I get into a regular rhythm.

But, I have no regrets working again as it is keeping my current lifestyle stable and I really like that. The work is interesting enough and I’m working fewer hours than with my previous employer. Plus, as an independent consultant, I get a lot more tax deductions.

I have to say though that the freedom I experienced over the last 5 1/2 months has changed my life and my perspective on how things can and could be. I found that my desire to get back to that level of freedom has grown exponentially over the last week.

So, I will be working towards having a lifestyle that is based on that level of freedom. That’s the good thing about contrast. You can definitely pinpoint exactly what you desire.

That’s a good thing.

Michael

If a trainstation is where the train stops, what’s a workstation? – Author Unknown

When people go to work, they shouldn’t have to leave their hearts at home. – Betty Bender

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. – James Matthew Barrie

Well, today was the first day of the new consulting gig. It’s definitely an adjustment from being on vacation for 5 1/2 months.

I’m sure I’ll get used to it. I like the pace so far. Slower than where I used to work, but not so slow that it will be boring. I’ve already met a number of nice people. They are either hiding the bad ones or I won’t be working with them. I suspect it is the latter.

This consulting contract lasts until July, so I have plenty of work until then. There is one major problem with this job. The company I’m working at gives their employees and contractors access to unlimited free donuts, bagels, muffins, coffee, espresso drinks and multiple flavors of ice cream from a national company. Temptation is huge. I made it through the first day without consuming any of them, but boy it will be hard!

Bottom line is that I’m glad to be back at work. It is exactly what I was looking for. Life/work is good.

Michael

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. – Charles R. Swindoll

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

Numerous opportunities for “work” have been coming to me over the last two weeks. Compared to last time when I was in between jobs, this one has been much easier. I know it is because of the internal work I’ve done on myself over the last few years.

Last night I got a call about an opportunity that will start next week or the week after. I accepted it of course as it seemed the right thing to do, the right opportunity to work on. It comes at time that is exactly when I needed to start some consulting work. The opportunity is interesting and could lead to more.

I’ve been on vacation/holiday for five months now. It’s been a wonderful time and a great way to adjust to a life that I want, which was my primary goal for taking so many months off. I only did things I wanted to do. That was my main objective. The past five months has been life changing for me. From this point forward, I’m only doing what I want to do, whether it be a “work” situation or something else. I’ll settle for nothing less.

The other point that was important during my time off was that I never doubted I could find a work opportunity. Of course, I had some moments but they were very short and quickly dispelled with an attitude adjustment. The majority of the time, I stayed in full belief and worked on being happier in every moment I could. I believe that was the biggest difference between the last time I didn’t have job and this time. That previous time was one of fear, anxiety and general dismay.

By keeping my attitude high, I stayed clear, focused and opened for what was coming my way. I believe that little “signs” or opportunities were more easily spotted as my head wasn’t hanging down in despair.

It’s been a fantastic learning experience/experiment. The difference is that I won’t be stopping.

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