Happy 2018
As 2018 closes, I can genuinely say that I am starting the part four of my life of which I hope there are five parts.
- The first part of my life was my formative years in North Dakota where I grew up, and my base persona developed. Growing up in the 60s and 70s as a cop’s kid was interesting.
- Part two of my life was my time in the Navy and initial family time where I developed further but was still wet behind the ears. During this time, I was on submarines, tenders and traveled the world.
- The third part of my life was my civilian career where I worked for many small companies in South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Georgia, and California. During this period I honed many of my professional skills.
- This is the period of my life I regularly had my finger(s) and other body parts in the dike to keep things running for ownership.
- Part four of my life starts in 2018 and I will be working for a multinational company as a solutions executive where I take everything I have learned in life and work and make it stick.
- The fifth part is unknown as of yet, but I believe I will be cruising in an RV with my bride of forty (40) plus years, with fur babies and grandchildren, while riding ATVs and side by sides.
Five (5) Parts Of Life
So here I sit, fifty plus going on fifteen about to start a new career and this is when I reflect on what has changed or what I will modify to make the fourth part of my life a success.
I owe it to my bride, children, and me to not only challenge myself but also be content for the duration of this period of my life.
Overall, this is a significant change since I have always been the person that accepts critical fill positions, takes control of broken situations, and turns it around.
It is time for me to pull my finger(s) out of the dike to prevent flooding for ownership groups that did not always reciprocate the efforts and finally do what is right for my family and me.
Pull My Finger Out Of The Dike
I could name specifics on the companies but will not since I left these companies sometime back but was limited in career choice due to employment agreements.
My goal was to be involved in sales during my fourth part of my life before a long-term employer sold the business to a group that did not understand the market they were entering so ended up traveling a different path the last couple of years.
This change in plans delayed my entry into part four of my life which I commence tomorrow, and I am excited that I will be working for and with an established innovation leading company.
Additionally, this change will be sales and program development oriented which was my goal career at this point in my life, so all is looking good.
With this change, I will not need to deal with:
- Unfunded paychecks.
- Past due vendor payments.
- Ensuring HR is servicing employees.
- High employee turnover rate with new ownership.
- Customer issues based on manning and logistic challenges.
- 365 day, 24-hour availability to resolve problems.
- Direction to change numbers for an investment group.
- The list goes on, but I will keep it short.
Today, I need to button up work for some of the smaller companies I have worked for and with the last two years. The experience with these companies has added more tools to my toolbox, but in the end, I need to do what is best for my family and me.
The new career decision does not change my long-term goal of establishing a small business consulting/coaching website, but that is a 3 to 5-year goal for my family and me.
Working in this new direction also gives me the ability to help develop and sell a service that is needed, so I am incredibly excited about this opportunity.
Move On To Something Bigger And Better For Part Four (4)
Please stay tuned for updates on how this goes and feel free to comment on similar situations and how you are doing.
- What part of life are you in currently?
- Are there more than five (5) parts to life?
- Have you had similar experiences and situations?
I wish you health, safety, and success in 2018. Being fifty plus going on fifteen can be exhilarating.
Happy New Year!!
Jay Patterson