Time for a Change

I recently returned from a much-needed skiing vacation in a beautiful, snowy Colorado landscape. I have been thinking for a while (the past few months) that it is time for a change. While relaxing and contemplating, I concluded that I needed a change.

How I Got Here

I have had an exciting journey over the past few years. Back in April 2020, I was in the process of converting from a contracted V.P. position to a full-time V.P. role in an organization where I found I liked being in a role that would be challenging but within my wheelhouse. Then my world ground to a halt as this was when our area locked down due to the pandemic, offices were being closed, and businesses were cutting costs as they were unsure of what was to come. I'm sure you all remember.

Well, I was caught up in this transition as I was not yet a full-time employee, and the direction came down from leadership to cease all contract employees and no hiring. Many experienced it, and we all handled it in our way. In my case, I understood why it happened and may have even made the same decision if I was the CEO/COO. Even though I understood, it didn't hurt or scare me any less with the uncertainty of the future that we all feel, having just lost a job.

Only a few positions were open at my level, as employers and employees were in the same boat on an uncertain sea. The open positions that I was either interested in or did not represent a step back career-wise were few and super competitive, and I needed help that I could not find in landing one of these roles. I knew the environment would be challenging, but I decided to dust off an L.L.C. I had for doing side consulting jobs that I used to bring in extra money for things like my kids' college funds and trips for the family. Thus, I opened my own little, one-person consultant shop. Through my connections and much hustling, I have been fortunate to keep income coming in and provide for my family, including health care coverage. It was scary at first but would prove to be a godsend.

Sandwiched

Not having a boss except for yourself allows excellent flexibility, and I was about to need it. My wife and I are in the sandwich generation portion of life. We are blessed to have two great kids who were in high school, are now in college or about to start, and have living parents. My wife's father passed away before our second child was born, but her mother has been living with us for the last 16 years. I lost my stepfather in 2015, but both my mother and father are still living.

My Wife's Mom

My mother-in-law's health started failing later in 2020 and early 2021, causing my wife to step away from her job so she could focus on her mom in addition to our family. She tried to do it all, but it was causing too much stress to sustain. Her stepping away from her work, which she loved, was a sacrifice, but at least we could afford to do it between my consultancy work, savings, and cost-cutting at home. We got the mother-in-law back to good health with many doctor appointments and treatments and a couple of procedures. The flexibility I mentioned earlier came in handy by allowing me to shoulder some of that burden in a way a full-time job working for someone else would not have. My mother-in-law's health stabilized, and while she could no longer drive, she went back to routine care. Life proceeded in this new norm for about a year.

My Dad

Just before the pandemic hit in late 2019, my father had decided it was time to move closer to us from Houston, TX, where he had lived and worked much of his adult life after getting out of the army, getting his education, and being a professor in the college of business at the University of Houston for over 40 years. We moved him into an independent living facility about 5 minutes from our house in October 2019. It was great! I got to see lots of my father, and his whole being improved with being close to us. It was like he had caught a fresh breath and was ready for the next phase. He skated through the next few months, enjoying walks, exercising there, and interacting with the other residents and our family.

When things locked down in March 2020, he had a little community there, and lots of FaceTime calls with us. I was his only allowed outside contact, and we chose to do safe lock-down procedures with our high-risk family members, which include (according to the experts) my mother-in-law, a child with asthma, and to be able to keep face-to-face contact with my father. (This is not intended to be a political statement or solicit feedback about whether it was the right thing to do. Instead, it was our choice at the time that my wife and I felt was the best for us and our situation.) None of us caught COVID; when the vaccines (Again, I am not trying to be controversial, but we felt getting the vaccine was best for our family.) came out, life started to return to normal. Then, in November 2022, my father had a still-to-this-day undetermined health event. Lots of tests ruled out things like heart attack, stroke, circulatory damage, dementia, and the like. But after his hospital stay was over, he could barely function both mentally and physically. I spent the next three months using my spare time to care for him, brought in home-based healthcare, and searched for an assisted living facility. Again, that flexibility was a blessing.

He has steadily improved over the last year since moving into the new facility, but I would like his strength and mental acuity to be closer to what they were before the mysterious event. However, he has stabilized, and there is a steady, if slow, improvement. Between his improvement, the staff support at the facility, and the development of new routines, the amount of time needed to care for him has significantly decreased.

My Mom

Then, there is my mom. She's the little energizer bunny that keeps going. She only needs help managing her finances, which is easy.

So, Where Does that Leave Me Now

So, knock on wood, my personal life has calmed down in the past few months. During this period, I wrapped up my last contract analyzing a technology organization for a Venture Capital group and have a new one lined up for February. This has given me time to meet with some friends, a lunch or two with old colleagues, and continue working on improving my health. And, of course, I went on a family ski trip. In other words, it has been a lovely stretch of relative peace and calm that was very welcome. This also gave me time to reflect on my professional life and career development.

I realized that I am grateful for the past almost four years. I have been able to support my family, have enough to pay for the kids' college, and the ability to help out our aging parents, and support my wife while she does it. Has it been easy? No. Not at all. But I am grateful because we could do all that, and I know not all can.

However, I need to feel more professionally fulfilled. It is not that I do not like what I have been doing. I am grateful for my clients, the opportunities provided, and the strategic impact I am having. But I feel something is missing.

Up next in Part 2 - Where to go?