X-ecutive

Life restarted

Really, it was a day like any other. I woke up at 5, did all the normal necessary daily preparation: worked out, ate, showered, checked my schedule, nudged my wife and kids to kiss them and say good by as I went to my office. Nothing unusual, but wow what a day that turned out to be. I learned a lot about life, myself, and the organization that I had spent my entire professional life building.

But before I get into all that, some background and emphasis on why I am starting this blog. At 40, I may not be the typical retired executive. I do, however regard myself as an average Joe. There is nothing particularity unique about me. I grew up in a conservative family. My father worked as a civilian for the government. My mom worked small jobs and was primarily a homemaker for our family. My two brothers, three sisters and I have all the normal, modestly disfunctional life stories like everyone else. They all live within an hour of where we were born and raised. I was the youngest of the six surviving children and as such may have had a slightly different outlook on life. I will admit, I had the advantage of seeing the effect of the decisions of my siblings on their lives. But this, nor my typical state system educational experience could be credited for the achievement of corporate stature that I was fortunate to have been granted before life took a refreshing twist. I account most of my success to my parents, mentors, and willingness to accept opportunity. At 35, I had reached what most in the corporate world would regard as success.

As a senior officer in a multi billion dollar public entity. I had a very comfortable life by all standards. A great salary, a nice home, a nice family, the opportunity to travel the world extensively, the freedom to make decisions that broadly effected the organization.

Suddenly, everything changed. Not necessarily for the worse, but it all changed. I hope that this blog might prove interesting reading if nothing else, but maybe there will be some gems along the way for others to consider in making life and career decisions. I certainly possess no definitive answers but I have gained some "interesting" perspective.

I'll be tweaking the blog and look forward to your discussion. Life in reality, is just beginning. I can't believe all that I was missing!

posted by Unknown @ 8:39 AM