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.
Follow me as I piss off more people: Subscribe
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Related Posts -
Free Will, or Freewill [/caption] Photo by yngrich There are those who think that life has nothing left to chance A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance I'm a big fan of the band Rush. They have a unique approach to writing music, and they always surprise me with their creativity...... -
Getting Rich in America Book Review and Summary, Part 4 This is Part 4 of my review and chapter summary of Getting Rich in America: 8 Simple Rules for Building a Fortune and a Satisfying Life by Dwight R. Lee and Richard B. McKenzie. You can read the first three parts of this review by clicking the following links: Getting...... -
Barbaric Book Review: Die Broke by Stephen M. Pollan, Part 1 In Die Broke, Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine propose "a radical, four-part financial plan to restore your confidence, increase your net worth, and afford you the lifestyle of your dreams." Hey, sign me up! The book, first published in 1997, attempts to poke holes in conventional financial and estate......
Related Websites -
Almost 2,000,000 Of Us Have Lost Our Jobs This Year, So? To be more specific, 1.9 million have lost their jobs in 2008. More than a quarter of them in November alone. This is a staggering figure not matched in over 30 years (December 1974). What's worse, is the estimates in September and October were revised up further, and November's...... -
Brighton, Brighton, UT Brighton is located in: Brighton, UT Phone: (801) 532-4731 Website: http://www.skibrighton.com/ About the Resort: Brighton first opened in 1936 and quickly became a world-renowned ski resort, thanks in a large part to their attention to detail, their awesome trails and their commitment to excellence. They have expanded operations through the...... -
10 Things I Have Learned From Working At Home. A lot of people have emailed me over the last 7 months about my working at home. Just so everyone knows, I did have a desk job...in fact I worked in offices for 12 years until this past October, when I gave notice at my job to go out on......
