Just over two years ago, I was sitting in a hotel in a remote part of Ecuador with a group of GreenHouse students. We were taking turns making commitments, setting goals and outlining how our lives would be different upon returning to the States. When it was my turn, I shared the fact that I had hit a wall professionally. I was not learning, growing, contributing or loving my work. I made a promise to myself, and to the team, that I would leave brij in search of something better. "Life is too short..."
Two and a half years later, I am finally following through on that promise. The rationale behind why it took so long is lengthy: working for a family business, having a husband in law school, fearing this down-turn economy... the list goes on and on. But after Mike started his job a couple weeks ago, and after having some very positive conversations with my dad, I took the jump and announced I would be leaving the company.
A couple points of perspective as I embark on my new world:
1. I was extremely fortunate to learn everything that I did over the past 4 1/2 years. Beyond managing several different departments at brij (Partnership Development, Marketing, a new Territory), I also had the opportunity to work alongside a multitude of businesses up and down the east coast. Whether I was working with a chemical company in Pennsylvania or a rock company in Raleigh, these experiences taught me how to streamline processes, evaluate and implement change, budget for projects, train employees, take new products to market, motivate teams, present ideas, and so much more.
2. Pulling out and dusting off the old resume is scary. Thankfully, Mike Cunningham, a dear family friend and a veteran Career Coach, gave me some great pointers. I received very positive feedback and was blessed to have several opportunities surface almost immediately.
3. I have accepted one of these offers and will begin a new phase of my professional career on October 1st (a very special day for a number of reasons). I am excited about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead... I will be working with a brilliant team of people in a very strong litigation software company called TCDI. (www.tcdi.com)
4. Before embarking on this next phase, I am heeding the advice of a dear friend, Caroline Jones. Caroline encouraged me to take advantage of this small window of opportunity between jobs. She started listing-off all types of ideas: cooking classes in France, yoga retreats in India, scuba camps in Mexico... and while I am not going that grand with my planning, I do have a "bucket list" of activities that I hope to accomplish during the month of September. Please help to hold me accountable as I mark off the items on this list; I do not know the next time I will be able to comfortably chase my dreams, organize my life, and embrace all of the little things in a day that bring me absolute spiritual and emotional bliss.
