Story of a decade...

 So... a decade has gone by since I decided to impart words of wisdom to my younger self. Here, then, is an addition to what I will tell me younger self...

The 40 year old me

• You are about to embark on the best phase of your career journey. This will be a high watermark for years to come
• The best job will come with another low point in the personal life. You will receive the "second call" and realize that if your genetics have their say, there is more behind you than ahead of you
•  The world will go to hell and high basket and you will go along with it. You will question your self worth. You will question your worth as the provider. Learn to measure it in the love from the near and dear ones rather than the numerals on the paycheck. Learn that it is not about who provided, the important thing is that someone is. Ego doesn't pay for groceries.
• Dark, very dark, very very dark days are ahead. Try not to let them change you forever. There is a part of you that probably will.
  
• A forced long break between jobs after about 20 years of no break may seem like a godsend and jarring at the same time. Pick a lane
  
• There will be a light at the end of the tunnel. The jobs get harder from here.... you will be tested. you will reconsider, you will suffer, you will suffer some more, you will suffer a lot but you will come out  the other side with your honor and your confidence intact
• The next setback will hurt so much less because you are worth so much more and you know it... 
• You are getting older, cherish every moment, dread every medical test. Who knows when the latter kills the former. 
• Learn to live for today. Enjoy every road trip, remember every moment with family. Take lots of pictures
• You will lose some friends and some people you thought were friends. Learn to loom past the history and understand that the you cannot live your life for others
• You will be fine financially but you will never be crazy rich. You will never get fuck-you-money. Don't lose the time you have for the one you won't 
• The one that got away really didn't. Never was yours to lose. Take a look at yourself in the mirror and ask not what if but what if not?

The now me

• If the genetic math tracks, enjoy this damn decade. Might be your last full one
• If the morbid math tracks, hope that damn phone doesn't ring
• If the familial math tracks, the scorecard is holding up, just about. All in all, you barely scored passing marks as a son and a brother, probably above average as a husband and a dad, somewhere in between as a friend. Keep it that way

The honeymoon continues...

About 3 months into the new gig and the imposter syndrome is still MIA. Is that really a good thing.

I am still pumped about the work and everything I need to fix. Some complacency set in this week with the multiple people that I had to chase to get some simple things done but after talking to my boss, i am back to feeling empowered again. There is a bit of a feeling about being in a lot of things but not making enough of a difference but I try to tell myself that it is too soon to judge.

After a long long time, I feel supported, I feel empowered and I have to pinch myself to see if it is really true. The last job has made me so wary that I always think that something bad is around the corner. 

If someone from my previous jobs were to encounter me now, I bet they won't recognize this new aggressive me. I am not willing to make the same mistakes again. I will not hire my backup and I will not let a bad team member poison the whole group. 

It's probably not real and I shouldn't jinx it but I am loving it!!!

 

 

 

The answer, my friend...

... is that I don't have many friends. No one to call, no one to go out with, no one to discuss my hope and my dreams, my fears and insecurities with.

I have always had many acquaintances but very few friends. Over the years, I have lost quite a few of those that I did have, some over trivial matters, some over not-so-trivial ones.

 I often talk to people who say they meet with their school/college friends regularly. I have one friend left from my school days- we talk to each other twice a year - on his birthday and on mine. Just 3 college friends left. Great friends but spread over 3 different continents - one of the them I haven't met in 20+ years, others just once each in the last 5 years. Mostly because they made the effort to come to where I was. The "college reunion trip" just never materializes. 

My better half keeps in touch with her college friends. 2 of them live close by. Even thought they meet only a couple of times a year, it's still better than me meeting my friends once in 5 years. The only people I meet regularly is my sibling. Some sort-of-friends meet a couple times a year but they are mostly couple friends rather than ones I can have a friday night drink with.

 I try and meet up with people when I am in a new city but these are just work acquaintances. I used to be horrible with keeping in touch but I try and be better. When we were in Seattle, I looked forward to our weekly tennis games and the once-in-few-months "boys night out". I haven't had one of those in over 13 years now.  Well, the last life-long friend I made was over 30 years ago. I just have 4 friends to show for 50years of life on this planet.

Reminds me of this line ...."Itne log to hain, phir tanha kyon ho?" - there are so many people around you, why do you still feel lonely?

Still searching for the answer, my friend...

The fire is still there...

About 6-7 weeks into the new gig and the fire is burning brighter than ever. So much to fix, so little time to do it in. I still have the confidence that I can do it all and the imposter syndrome is sleeping so far. Adrenaline is high and I almost feel I am not fixing things fast enough. That I got a long desired trip to Australia under my belt last week just makes me feel so much more pumped.

Problems remain...I am moving way faster than most everyone in the group. I fear that I might get settled in the groove and lose the drive so I want to make the difference before that happens. Also, my boss is on thin ice. Less worried about him but more about his replacement if it happens. Good equation with my skip so far though. Giving me the freedom to make the changes and make the difference. 

If, in the next year, I am able to achieve half the things I put in my deck this week, I will come out pretty good on the other side. This week, I couldn't sleep well - not because I was stressed but, while lying in bed, I was coming up with things to do. Almost thought about jumping on the laptop in the middle of the night and getting ahead of things. This was a long and tiring week but I had a sense of accomplishment at the end of it. A good week after a very very very long time.

I haven't been this excited about work in a long long time. I am going at it with the energy I didn't know I had. It is almost as if I am running out of time...

 

Here we go again

Two weeks into the new gig and the day of the first paycheck. Woohoo and all that..!!!

The imposter syndrome hasn't hit yet though there is a ton here that I haven't not done earlier. However, I somehow feel confident that this is all solvable. I just need to go about it methodically and, to a certain extent, ruthlessly. I don't have enough of a career left to be nice to all folks. I still feel that the money doesn't compensate for what all I need to solve here.

Not that I had any other offer in hand but looking at how other companies are dealing in thousands and millions and getting good press while I am counting pennies makes me wonder if this was the right decision in the long term. I think I can spin this eventually to my benefit if I can get a decent tenure here. My thought is to pay my dues for, say, 2 years to buff up my resume and try and get a title bump. Even if not, I should be looking elsewhere to get the money piece. 

Feels good to be employed though. Just about 12-15years to go though

A beginning, and an end

Took a while, but I have signed an offer! 8 months to the day. Much less than what it took last time but 8 long months still. Huge relief though. The knowledge that a paycheck is just a few weeks away is a different kind of confidence boost.

Mixed feelings about this one. The money ain't that great but the title is an improvement. The company is also less well known than the last one so I wonder if it will impact the next search. The stocks are practically worthless. In a weird way, if I stay here longer (and get a promotion or two), the gig will be worthwhile but if I make it a short term gig and go elsewhere in a year or two, I have a potential to make more money sooner.

As it is, the two unemployment stints of 1yr8months collectively have cost a substantial amount in lifetime earnings. Though it is easy to question the decisions in hindsight, I don't have any other options right now. I am horrible during the interview process and I know that's the reason I lost a few gigs I would have earned more money at (though I would have been downright miserable at some of them).

On top of that, with the start date only 2 weeks away, the imposter syndrome is raising it's ugly head. The "what if" and the "what if I can't" and the "what if they were right" questions are already popping in my head. I have to work hard and be a better version of myself and prove them all wrong.

The next search will be harder and with just 12-15years to go in my career, I need to try and get a paycheck during most, if not all of them.

Time happens...

 Well...the last post wasn't the last post it seems. Looks like I have one more in me. Wondered if I should do it this week or next but who knows what the next weekend will look like so this is might be the last one for the year.

I think I am at a point where counting in weeks doesn't make sense anymore. Months might be a better metric from now on. 7 is where we are right now.

On the positive side- there have been tons of interviews but nothing that has resulted in an offer. There aren't many weeks without an interviews but it is all pointless till I have an offer in hand. Sure, some are the kid of jobs that would have crushed the soul very soon after starting but I wonder if it would be any worse than the soul crushing time right now. The perspective has changed since spouse lost her job. 

The interview process has been eye-opening. Sometimes I am aware that I am begging and I feel pathetic but what choice do I have? 

I think, most of my life, I have cared very little about what anyone thinks about me. However, 2 job losses in 5 years makes me wonder what my kids think about me. In due time, I hope they will understand that no matter now incompetent flawed their father is/was, he is still a good human being.

The saga continues...

 26 weeks and counting...

No light at the end of the tunnel. Not even the light from an oncoming train. Maybe the oncoming train is behind me. My better half lost her job yesterday. The severance will see us through a few weeks but future is a big bad unknown after that.

With each passing week, it is harder to keep the morale (up) but I keep trying. On my daily walks, with time to contemplate, there are occasions where I feel I am trying to walk through a knee deep sea of molasses. Every step feels too heavy, every breath feels too labored and every heartbeat feels like it is trying to pump more than it is capable of. 

If it wasn't for the family, I might have given up already though I would have had a smaller cushion so maybe not. Conversely, without the family, I may have felt less of a failure. What I am saying is that it is hard, would have been hard, regardless of the state. 

I still don't know where and when this will end. Almost makes you wonder about the choices you make in life. 

This maybe the last post of the year...

Let there be light... at the end of this tunnel

Some 16-17 weeks into being unemployed, the truth is starting to hurt. There are lots of moments of self doubt. There are lots of times when I start to think that maybe, just maybe, the detractors were right. 

There have been some rays of hope but there always have been many slips 'tween the cup and the lip. As I heard recently - it is not the despair that kills you, it's the hope. I have been trying to keep my tits chin up but it is hard at times. 

 I went to Boulder for a literature festival recently. It was good to get away from the constant search for the job but most of the weekend was spent questioning myself on what right do I have to spend the money and enjoy myself when I am not earning. The spouse has been a lot more supportive this time around than than the last but I am always fearful on when her patience will run out.

Also attended a conference recently. Big ego boost to present and have people come to me for "my experience". Felt like an imposter all the time and had to go against the grain to network but it was a good break from the routine.

Anyway, on the positive side, this was a better week. 3 irons in the fire. I hope I am able to close 1 or more of them. Has done the confidence a whole lot of good. I hope I am in a position to choose and, if so, I choose wisely. Not for what might look good to others but what is best for me...

 

 

For my daughter

Here's something I have been writing (and refining) for a while now. I intend to give this to my daughter at her college graduation. If, for some reason, I am not around for the graduation AND have enough forewarning, I would arrange for it to be read on the day of... (yeah, melodramatic but I have to prepare for all eventualities). I am not sure why I decided to post it here for no one will ever get to read it but here goes...

R-

Don’t be afraid to spread your wings
What matters is not that they are made of wax
But that you are able to take flight

Don’t be afraid to push every boulder
What matters is not that it rolls down 
But that you are able to push it uphill

Don’t be afraid to break through those ceilings
What matters is not that they are made of glass
But that you know only kryptonite can stop you

Don’t be afraid to claim your seat
What matters is not that it is on a bus
But that they dare say you can't have it

Don’t be afraid to set sail for new frontiers
What matters is not what lies beyond
But that you aren’t afraid to fall off the edge

Don’t be afraid to conquer every mountain
 What matters is not that they are high
 But that they are there, and in your way

Don’t be afraid to challenge the seas
What matters is not that whether you can part it
But that everyone trusts you to show the way

But, above all, don’t be afraid to take that first step
For what matters is not where you end up
But that you undertook the journey at all

Go,
flap your wings,
cause some hurricanes!