Am I mad?
Some more well-known Mad Men
"Are you mad?" This is the most common response I get when I tell people that I've started working for myself. Okay, what they actually say is "That's brave", but I think what they really mean is, "Are you mad? In this double-dipping economy where people are clinging onto their jobs and praying that interest rates stay low? Rather you than me!"
I don't think I'm mad. In fact the decision to start working for myself was easy. I got some great listening and advice from friends, family and others and it became a simple calculation: the path I was on wasn't going to lead to the rewards necessary to make the pain and effort worthwhile.
It was time for some strategic quitting.
So now I stand here, on the edge of another land. Behind me lies the warm currents of a wonderful month off spent with my fantastic wife and daughter. In front is territory both familiar and novel. The necessary primacy of sales amongst all my activities is familiar, and much of my new acreage is devoted to planting seeds for myself and others. Some familiarity is to be avoided though: I have no desire to recreate my former life, despite its successes. Instead, travelling light, I hope to venture into new-sprung territory as much as possible; looking at communications, social media, mobile devices and even the whole internet afresh, drawing on a wider range of perspectives.
I'm looking forward to the journey, and will write about it here whenever it seems interesting enough to share.
