Friday, May 29, 2009

transitions: onward and upward

Thoughtful readers of ack/nak will have noticed I've been rather quiet this month.

Like many Americans I got caught up in the economic downturn, and found myself on May 1st to be, as the euphemism goes, "exploring new opportunities".

What I made were a lot of discoveries.

One of the biggest was in stress management, as I took to going to the gym on a near-daily basis, figuring if I exhausted myself I could purge some of the stress-toxins.  It worked quite well.  I'm sorry I didn't discover this a long time ago.

I discovered there were a lot of people who appreciate what I "do".  Thank you to all of you who reached out to me with ideas and opportunities for collaboration.   Thank you.

I discovered there is a world of difference between "manning the oars" and "holding the rudder" when it comes to approaching problems - it's hard to see where you're going when you have your back to the bow of the boat.

I discovered an ability to visualize that I hadn't fully exploited.  As they say in "The Secret", thoughts become things - the Law of Attraction is a powerful force available to everyone to turn your dreams into reality.  And as I started to dream, I felt the fear melt away.

And I discovered - again - how wonderful my wife and kids truly are.

The journey of the product manager is never easy, it is never straight, and it is never predictable.  It is also never, ever boring.  As I begin a new product management adventure, I'm proud to be part of a community of professionals who never lose sight of their humanity.

I'll keep you posted.  Keep those cards and letters coming.

1 comment:

Andrew said...

I wish you the best of luck. As life would have it, I'm in the same proverbial boat as you, and I've always thought that if you're going to be in a boat, might as well enjoy the sun, water, and well, why not go somewhere while you're at it as opposed to just staying still?