Photo by raindog

Don’t look back
A new day is breakin’
It’s been too long since I felt this way
I don’t mind where I get taken
The road is callin’
Today is the day

- from Don’t Look back by Boston

Conventional wisdom tells you never to burn any bridges in your life.  Being a person that questions the validity of conventional wisdom, of course I’ve ignored this advice.  And it hasn’t hurt me one bit.  More about that a little later on.  First, some more song lyrics:

I can see
It took so long to realize
I’m much too strong
Not to compromise
Now I see what I am is holding me down
I’ll turn it around

I’ve never been averse to change; in fact, I welcome it.  I’ve worked for many different companies over the course of my career, and I’m sure that my current job won’t be my last, either.  I get bored when I stop learning, and then it’s time for me to move on.  Stagnation at a job holds you back from achieving your goals.  Sure, I may leave my friends, but I’m not going to let that stop me.

It’s a new horizon and I’m awakin’ now
Oh I see myself in a brand new way
The sun is shinin’
The clouds are breakin’
’cause I cant lose now, there’s no game to play

It’s good to get out of your comfort zone.  Ditching the familiar surroundings can be scary, but also invigorating.  Meeting new people can open you  up to new experiences.  A challenging new job can help you grow by snapping you out of old habits.  You leave any baggage at your old job.  You get a chance to start anew.  A clean slate.

I can tell
There’s no more time left to criticize
I’ve seen what I could not recognize
Everything in my life was leading me on
But I can be strong

OK, but what does this have to do about burning bridges?  I had left a hellish job for a dream job.  Unfortunately, after two years, the dream job was soon to be only a wonderful memory, as my job was being eliminated.  The natural reaction would be to go back to my previous, hellish nightmare, if only until I could find something else.  Besides, all of my friends were still there.  Sound familiar?  I was even given the opportunity to do some consulting work.  But there was a problem.

Decision time

They wanted me to come in on Super Bowl Sunday to fix a mess they had gotten into.  I knew that I could solve their problem, and it would take about 12 hours of heavy number crunching to right the ship.  But did I really want to go back there?  After all, I (and all of my coworkers) had been treated poorly by management.  I had counted the days until I was free of the place.  But it was a safe refuge, and a steady paycheck, until I found something better.  Should I cave, and stay in the comfort zone?

If you don’t know me by now…

Hell no! I gave them an outrageous price for my services, and my former boss was so pissed at my insolence that he basically told me to eat shit and die.  Smell that?  That’s a bridge burning.  How’s that for motivation?  I found out later that my former coworkers were howling with joy when they heard about what happened.  I’m glad I didn’t disappoint them.  Or myself.  I went out and found a job that better suited my needs.

So the moral of the story is never look back, just like the song.  You’ve left a job for a certain reason, and sliding back into an old role won’t help you grow.  Always look to challenge yourself, and don’t get complacent.  Force yourself to confront a new challenge.

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