Decisions That Shape Your Life (Part II - Macro)
After my work-life-rugby balance post, I've been thinking a lot about my short and long-term goals and priorities. Much of this thinking was prompted by an email sent from Jen Crouse (captain) asking for our availability if there was to be a USA game vs. Canada during ITTs. Up until this point, I was kind of hoping there wouldn't be any other events that would require me to take time off from work. With Crouse's email and then the schedule that was sent out to the National Team pool players giving us a heads-up about upcoming events (although no one has been selected yet), I started to realize that I was going to have to really think about how to make things work. I had used almost all of my vacation time at work for the UK tour and a month ago had a preliminary "time-off" chat with my boss when he finally asked "Now, what happens if you make the World Cup squad?" We discussed the possible option of time without pay and he made it clear that he was a strong supporter and said he would figure out how to make it possible, although it would take some negotiation because that isn't commonly done.
All this is swimming in my head as my birthday (March 3) sneaks up on me. I'm not afraid to say that I turned 28 with a lot of soul-searching. The time requirements for rugby (both for upcoming events and even daily/weekly training) are going to be difficult to reconcile with my work commitments. This, along with the birthday blues, begins to throw everything else into question - Where do I want to be in a few years?...What are my short-term goals and what do I have to do in the next few months to achieve them?... Will I be able to juggle everything effectively?... Will I really be able to focus on making improvements to my game if I'm running myself ragged?
Needless to say, all these questions really made me sit down and think. I know that I have to do everything I can to try to make the World Cup team. It would be silly to come this far and miss because I wasn't focused enough in the critical months leading up to it. As for my career, I know that climbing the corporate ladder isn't what I'm looking for. But I like the type of work that I'm doing (Strategic Planning) and I like my team and how we can have such an impact on change at Canon USA. I don't really want to give up either, but something's gotta give.
This past Friday (March 10th), I finally decided to talk to my boss about what to do. I had a few options in my head, but the one that I thought was most promising was transitioning to a part-time employee or consultant. I explain the rugby situation along with my feelings about my short-term and long-term goals and the discussion turns out to be one of those discussions that you're so glad you had. He was extremely understanding and was willing to work with me to figure out how to make it all work out.
This is a pretty big decision, and one that I didn't take lightly. I asked for as much advice as possible from other people (Rob, Audie, and Houser stand out as being particularly helpful!) and left the conversation feeling like a burden was relieved. Every once in a while, I feel like I embody the Milan Kundera title "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and Friday was one of those days. It's funny because my youngest brother, Evan, also spoke with his bosses on Friday to let them know that he would be moving on in 6 weeks. He and I met for dinner at Planet Thailand in Williamsburg and bonded over our experiences.
I am glad it all turned out ok, but this is a decision that will shape my life in some way. It's not as "micro" as the daily decision to go to the gym, but more of a "macro" decision that will shake up the balance of my existing life. I'm excited to spend more time training, passing, and watching game tapes to help me focus more intently on what I need to do to push my playing to the next level.
After my work-life-rugby balance post, I've been thinking a lot about my short and long-term goals and priorities. Much of this thinking was prompted by an email sent from Jen Crouse (captain) asking for our availability if there was to be a USA game vs. Canada during ITTs. Up until this point, I was kind of hoping there wouldn't be any other events that would require me to take time off from work. With Crouse's email and then the schedule that was sent out to the National Team pool players giving us a heads-up about upcoming events (although no one has been selected yet), I started to realize that I was going to have to really think about how to make things work. I had used almost all of my vacation time at work for the UK tour and a month ago had a preliminary "time-off" chat with my boss when he finally asked "Now, what happens if you make the World Cup squad?" We discussed the possible option of time without pay and he made it clear that he was a strong supporter and said he would figure out how to make it possible, although it would take some negotiation because that isn't commonly done.
All this is swimming in my head as my birthday (March 3) sneaks up on me. I'm not afraid to say that I turned 28 with a lot of soul-searching. The time requirements for rugby (both for upcoming events and even daily/weekly training) are going to be difficult to reconcile with my work commitments. This, along with the birthday blues, begins to throw everything else into question - Where do I want to be in a few years?...What are my short-term goals and what do I have to do in the next few months to achieve them?... Will I be able to juggle everything effectively?... Will I really be able to focus on making improvements to my game if I'm running myself ragged?
Needless to say, all these questions really made me sit down and think. I know that I have to do everything I can to try to make the World Cup team. It would be silly to come this far and miss because I wasn't focused enough in the critical months leading up to it. As for my career, I know that climbing the corporate ladder isn't what I'm looking for. But I like the type of work that I'm doing (Strategic Planning) and I like my team and how we can have such an impact on change at Canon USA. I don't really want to give up either, but something's gotta give.
This past Friday (March 10th), I finally decided to talk to my boss about what to do. I had a few options in my head, but the one that I thought was most promising was transitioning to a part-time employee or consultant. I explain the rugby situation along with my feelings about my short-term and long-term goals and the discussion turns out to be one of those discussions that you're so glad you had. He was extremely understanding and was willing to work with me to figure out how to make it all work out.
This is a pretty big decision, and one that I didn't take lightly. I asked for as much advice as possible from other people (Rob, Audie, and Houser stand out as being particularly helpful!) and left the conversation feeling like a burden was relieved. Every once in a while, I feel like I embody the Milan Kundera title "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and Friday was one of those days. It's funny because my youngest brother, Evan, also spoke with his bosses on Friday to let them know that he would be moving on in 6 weeks. He and I met for dinner at Planet Thailand in Williamsburg and bonded over our experiences.
I am glad it all turned out ok, but this is a decision that will shape my life in some way. It's not as "micro" as the daily decision to go to the gym, but more of a "macro" decision that will shake up the balance of my existing life. I'm excited to spend more time training, passing, and watching game tapes to help me focus more intently on what I need to do to push my playing to the next level.
posted by Lee Knight at 6:19 PM
2 Comments:
...and some very milky sake.
way to go lee!
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