Best Job Ever!

Chapter 20Career ChangeTry Before You Buy

My Daughter:

Dad, I'm hungry.

Me:

Let's go home and grab something to eat. I don't have cash.

My Daughter:

Do you have your Costco card? We can go eat there.

Me:

But I told you I don't have cash.

My Daughter:

You don't need cash. You just walk around the aisles and they feed you for free.

Bryant decided on a whim to leave his corporate job and start a consulting business. Despite numerous conversations with family, friends, and work counterparts who urged him to go slow and make a plan, Bryant made the leap and quit his corporate job. Unfortunately, the consulting did not work out like he had hoped and Bryant needed another job to pay the bills and keep his home. He called his past manager and asked for his job back, but the position had already been filled. He asked if there were any other positions he could take, but Bryant's performance before he left was mediocre at best and the company didn't want him back. Bryant was out of work and out of money. He had made two cardinal mistakes: he didn't have a plan and he didn't follow my advice of try before you buy.

The stress Bryant went through during that time was immense. For years researchers have been studying the cause and effects of stress. Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe¹ examined medical records and surveyed over 5,000 patients to determine what causes stress at work. They discovered that changes related to your career are considered some of the most stressful aspects of life. ...