A year ago I made one of the most powerful decisions of my career when I handed my laptop and badge over to my managers, said thank you but no thank you to their ‘promotion’ and a chance to move up their corporate ladder. And with that gesture, I turned around and walked away.
Had my moment been in an 80s movie …
Think:
Oh, yeah. Man, did that feel good.
I didn’t burn bridges. I didn’t make my mind up that second. I didn’t let the cage door block me. No. I thought about it for weeks before I gave my 2 weeks notice. I expressed my appreciation as I declined their offer. I smiled. Then I walked, not ran, to my running Audi … put my hair up and windows down, took my tunes to a respectable level and drove into a new World Order without checking the rear view mirror.
I know, right? It’s a movie if EVER there was one.
What I enjoy about this story is:
A) That is, verbatim, what happened.
B) I had the support of my own finances to leave a job without any prospects on the horizon.
C) I stood up for Principle, and left with more of me intact whilst adding some bits I hadn’t know were mine to reclaim.
D) I’m okay.
I still think about that time, though less and less frequently, without an ounce of Regret. It seems to come up now because I wish I had a few more stories like that in my life: One where I turned left, a solo figure with my fist in the air.
It’s Robert Frost isn’t it?
I may not resemble the character in Mr. Frost’s famous poem, but I’ll sure pause for my own internal slow movie clap.
Happy Tuesday.