Skip to main content

What's Next?

There have been times when I was actively looking for a new job, and there have been times when a new job found me when I wasn't looking at all. I can't tell you which employers I was ready to leave and which ones I wrestled with walking away from, but I can honestly say this: not all the jobs I've jumped to have been what I thought they would be. Some fell short of expectations, while others were so much more than I could have imagined.

I'm not perfect, but I do think I'm more than just a financial historian reporting numbers and closing accounting books. I enjoy the challenge behind most of it. I like being part of building a business and helping companies improve and grow.

Recently, I read one of the most interesting job postings. It asked:

"Do you challenge the numbers instead of simply reporting them? Do you make the call and own the outcome? Do you want a target, the authority to pursue it, and the freedom to determine how you get there?"

I thought, Dang... yes, please.

But then reality crept in.

I don't really want to start over again. I feel like I've bounced around too much over the past eight years, and what I really want is a job that appreciates me and values my talents. Besides, do I really want the added stress that comes with climbing higher up the ladder than I already am?

It's strange, though. I recently mentioned to someone that I feel so underutilized in my current role. That got me wondering: Is this just a season of rest? Or is this what the top of the mountain looks like, and it's all downhill from here?

I'm far too young to retire, and my 401(k) kindly reminds me every month that I still have many years to go. Ha!

So I started asking myself some hard questions:

Where am I now?

Where do I need to be?

Where does God really want me to be?

The truth is, I haven't done a great job of listening to Him or seeking His plan for my life over the past year or so. More often than not, I feel like I'm just drifting. I'm tired, but is that because life has been demanding? Or have I become lazy, unmotivated, and too comfortable?

Someone recently told me, "Enjoy life a little more right now. Don't worry so much that work isn't as fulfilling as it used to be."

Maybe that's good advice.

Maybe it's not.

I've spent a lot of my career asking, "What's next?"

Maybe the better question right now is, "What's enough?"

Enough challenge. Enough purpose. Enough ambition. Enough rest.

For most of my life, I've been focused on the next opportunity, the next goal, the next mountain to climb. Maybe this season isn't about reaching higher. Maybe it's about learning to appreciate where I am while remaining open to where God may lead me next.

I'm still working on the answer, but for the first time in a long time, I think I'm asking the right questions

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

She's not 39... Anymore...

Over 20 years ago when I was in high school, my youth group leader Bonnie was turning 40. Jim (her husband) and I rewrote the lyrics to I can't cry anymore by Sheryl Crow and sang "She's not 39 anymore..." Funny how I somewhat forgot about that and now... Soon I'll be singing that myself. I don't quiet recall at the age of 16 where I wanted to be when I turned forty but I'm pretty sure I wanted to be much like Bonnie. She was a pretty epic person and considering I didn't deserve her love she gave it so freely. I've been reflecting alot on the person I was then and the person I am today. I'm amazed where and how I traveled and the journey in which God lead me. I often wondering, where did the days and years go? I'm not sure I really recall what my 16 year old self would be at   at my  16 year would be at age 40. l daughter look a lot at my daughter and an reminded of the youthfulness and sence of adventure.  Turin...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are you afraid of?

It's Friday the 13th a day in which urban legends come out and people become a little bit superstitious or a little more frightful.    I remember in the late 90s - early 2000s playing Friday the 13th on the Sega Genesis....  All was fine in the day light as you walked around the campground and sometimes you had to get in the boat to go across the lake to the other side.  Life was good... The children were safe.  Then it started to get dark... your Children numbers started dropping, and you had to go find what was taking the children and you knew what was taking them.  You now had to search each of the cabins and in the darkeness even though you expected it at every turn Boom there was JASON and you just said holy S#@T  and screamed a bit in terror.   You took your little rock and threw it at Jason and did your best to dodge the knife as he slashed at you.   Sometimes you defeated him, Sometimes he killed you.  Someti...
Post a Comment
Read more

Are You Growing Your People Like a Gardener?

Lately at work, I've been feeling like that dead office plant. You know the one sitting in the corner, all wilted, dried up, and barely hanging on. It's surprisingly easy to feel malnourished and deflated. For a plant, it's a lack of water and sunshine. For people, it's often a lack of encouragement, support, and motivation. I love buying plants. I love when they're full, green, and thriving. The problem is, I'm not always great at keeping them that way. Recently, I came across a checklist for growing healthy plants: Know your plants. Make sure the containers or pots are big enough. Provide the right amount of sunshine. Water them only as often as needed. Fertilize them. Check on them regularly. Keep pests away. As I was reading the list, I realized how much of it applies to being a manager. Know your employees. Make sure they're in positions where they can grow and flourish. Encourage and motivate them. Provide constructive feedback. Pay them fairly. Che...
Post a Comment
Read more