No, No Pig. That's Not Fear. That's Excitement.

Today, I resigned from the job I have held for the past four years to accept a position at a rival company. For obvious reasons, this decision has been an emotional roller-coaster for me. But in making the decision, I have been able to rely on several tools I have picked up through the seminars I have attended as a program parent.
I have had a tendency throughout my life to deal with situations I don't like in the following way:

• Keep quiet
• Become resentful and frustrated
• Ultimately explode in anger

Recognizing this in myself, I chose to handle my current situation in a very different way. While I was quite frustrated by some things happening in my organization, I dealt with them by first establishing a basis of strength -- a job offer which I did not pursue, but to which I opened my ears and mind. Change like this is difficult for me. I have been a fearful person in many aspects of my life, but I have learned that without facing fears you cannot grow.

The statement that heads this post is a mantra from the parent seminars my wife and I attend, and silly as it sounds, it has been a useful guide to me as I struggled with my decision.

Next, I took the time to write out a long and detailed plan for what needed to happen in my current (now previous) company to convince me to remain on board. I faced the source of my frustrations -- the CEO -- and insisted on a meeting to discuss these. Based on his feedback, I was able to make a clear and comfortable decision to change.

There are of course, many people I will miss from the job I have left. That has made today a somewhat wistful one. But that wistfulness is mixed with excitement over new prospects.