"OK, What's Next?" - Jed Bartlett, The West Wing (played by Martin Sheen)

It's been an interesting few weeks. After returning from Africa, I craved to do something fulfilling and my job wasn't it. Call me an idealist, but I wanted my work to be meaningful. To impact something other than the bottom dollar. So I quit my job. Many would say that was impulsive, rash, stupid (especially in this down economy). And from a financial standpoint, they may be correct. BUT -- and I do mean a capitalized BUT -- it was the right thing to do. For all reasons other than money, I am the better for leaving.

Before I left for Tanzania, I posted here on my blog a reference to the movie City Slickers, expressing wanting to rediscover my "smile"...  In my search, I found what it meant to work hard and to be energized by it. I met and connected with people who I greatly respect, who are doing challenging work, and love it. I wiped away the cobwebs on my faith, and reconnected to my Jesus. The haziness of every day distractions disappeared, and clarity concerning my priorities re-emerged. In short, in a land far away, I found the very thing I was looking for..

So, now that my smile is back to where it belongs, how do I sustain it? How do I keep it from tarnishing, or worse, losing it again? The past few weeks have been spent trying to answer those very questions.  In honesty, there are portions of the exercise that are completely out of my comfort zone. A few examples:

1. Having no income. 
2. No clue how long this process will take.
3. Asking myself if I'm willing to start over in an entry level position if neccessary.
4. Can I shake the pride I have associated with what I've accomplished in my career so far?
5. Walking in faith, trying to follow the direction the Lord is leading me, and trusting that things will work out. 

I try to ignore the first two, and answer yes to the third and fourth, and live out the last. It's in this latter item that I've begun the process trying to identify, filter, and carve out the scope and end goal of finding my next role.

When I quit my job, I didn't have a plan. I didn't know how to tackle this huge question of "What's Next". But as I thought and prayed about it, I came up with the following three-pronged approach. I would network with people, independently research areas, jobs, items that were interesting and/or relevant to my search, and try to stay connected in discipleship. So far, this process is working. I've met with a variety of people who have imparted knowledge,  provided introductions to various network contacts, or recommend other areas to dive into. Taking those contacts and leads, I've researched what I could. And encompassing all of this, I am spending time in prayer and  Scripture to help lead and guide me down this path.

The process is long, and at times very slow. I am often impatient with the process, wanting to hurry and  "wrap things up". But deep down, I know I can't rush this. Otherwise, I'll have squandered this opportunity,  wasted my time and effort for instant, but short-term, gratification. So I will continue to work through this, with the hope that my efforts will be rewarded.

I'd like to wrap up my post by recommending an article I read earlier today by Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen. In response to a request from his students, he recommends applying some of the lessons taught in the classroom to their personal lives. Like Professor Christensen, I've decided that I don't want money to be my "yardstick" in which my life is judged. So I am taking a chance, and a step in faith, to change now while I can. Over the next few weeks/months, I'll try to revisit this process here on the blog, and update you with where I am...