My friend sent me an email this morning after reading yesterday’s blog post that said:
“I am following your blog....it looks like you are already resigned from your position.....”
I’m sure in many ways he is right, but the reason why this is no done deal is because the university has been my safety net for eight years. It all started with a risk and reward. It will end with one as well. In 2002, the company I worked with at the time went belly-up. It invested millions into internet marketing and operations about six months before the dotcom bust. Brilliant decision! The company went from 300 employees in 1997 when I joined, to six when I left. My boss brought me into her office one day and said “Dennis, I have some bad news. In two weeks, you will be next”.
I was about to be laid off for the first time in my life. I had applied to the university four months before, and was told that although they were still interested in me, there was a hiring freeze so they could not extend an offer. So now I was in a waiting game. What was I to do? We didn’t have kids at the time, but my wife was clearly not making enough money to support us both and we had just bought our first home. Sitting with this fear of the unknown, I made an inspired decision. I was going to say screw it all and ask for a week’s vacation to take my wife on our first trip oversees to Paris. Permission granted with a big smile from my supervisor. Hey, I could either get laid off, be jobless and not go to Paris or get laid off, be jobless and go to Paris. It was two days before Valentine’s Day so I found a package deal through France Vacations, got a French bottle of wine, a French Tulip and tied the itinerary around it. I scored major points that night! “Oh by the way, I’m about to get laid off when we get back from Paris” Response from my wife: “Oh well, at least we’re going to Paris!” I love her! While taking a stroll down the Champs Elysees, something told me to check my messages at home. Lo and behold, I had a message from the university: “We can now extend to you the position.” That was one of the happiest moments of my life! I threw caution to the wind and trusted that everything will work out.
I did not get laid off and so began my journey up the ranks of an adult learning institution. A lot of life has been lived in the past eight years. I have gotten to know amazing people who have seen me through family deaths, illnesses, getting an MBA, and becoming a director over a group of 25 employees. How do you leave your family? How do you just walk away from your own creation? Perhaps my friend is right. I am writing this blog to force my own hand to go through with it. Just like going to Paris forced me to enjoy life and choose happiness over fear.
There is one other point I neglected to mention: Still not sure how I’m going to replace my income while I wait for my first book to be a bestseller. Minor detail, I know. I told my wife, that maybe someone will read my blog and as I reach Resignation Day, the newspapers and TV networks will be swarming at the university, waiting to see if I hand deliver the letter to my boss. Will he go through with it? Stay tuned tomorrow for another episode of…Countdown to The Superman Effect.
No comments:
Post a Comment