One week into April and I am just now reflecting on the time off from Dell. Laid off with notice at the end of January, I had lunch with two former colleagues who are still working within the RR compound. [Mighty Fine Burger - Wow!] And when asked how I was doing I could hardly contain my enthusiasm. Reflecting on it now, I can see that I was looking for something awesome to tell them.
Something more than
- Rested
- Relaxed
- Time with kids
- Creative projects on fire
- Writing and writing and writing (a lifetime passion of mine)
- Even poetry is finding its way back into the quiet spaces of my mind
- And the Social Media ideas, projects, contracts, options
- And "but no job offers"
Under the terms of my severance I can't disclose any information about my departure from Dell, but suffice it to say, I'm not freaking out at the moment. I'm not floating via parachute by any means, but I have a little time to slow down and examine ALL the options. [To Michael Dell, I must say thank you again.]
And tomorrow, after two months, I am enrolling in the career placement and consulting support that was part of the "deal." The consultant from the agency said something like, "Well, it's been two months, but we still have this small window available if you would like to take advantage of the program offered to you."
So, a funny question was asked on an online forum the other day about Freelance workers and weekends. Since we work for ourselves and often from home, and more often on the weekends, was there any real difference between weekdays and weekends when you were a freelance worker.
I had to think about it. Well, the kids are home and I get to spend more time with them.
Flashing back to 8 – 9 months ago, before my last re-org, I was writing about constantly speeding on the way to RR. And not because I was late, but because I was excited by what I was working on and the people I was working with. I was pressing the accelerator pedal out of excitement.
Well, today it is the same thing, I keep pressing the accelerator pedal, even when I'm sitting in my livingroom listening to great music and writing my ass off. This social media stuff is just so damned exciting. Changing daily, hourly, and impacting so much of the business world in good and bad ways. I wake up late at night sometimes and get up and do the web for an hour before going back to sleep.
Now that's not always good for the sleep patterns, but as far as enthusiasm and enjoyment go, I could not be more charged. Heck, I'm even dusting off the Taylor guitar in my bedroom and working on that 3rd music CD that has been haunting me since my last release in 2002. [See buzzie.com for more info on that.]
So here's the rub. I'm doing some "projects" and I have some "projects" in the works. But essentially I'm not pulling in my twice a month salary that got me in the comfortable spot. And I have a bit more time to figure that out, and I'm not yet thrashing at the task of re-employment. But, I'm really liking, loving, working for myself again.
I'm waking up early and charging out of bed to make coffee and start the "projects" both personal and business. I'm staying up late at night visioning and working on a green startup plan. [see cleargreentechnologies.com for more on that.] And I'm awaking at night with ideas and visions.
And when a progressive VP at a local company asked me at SXSW this year, "Do you really want to come back into another corporate environment?"
My answer was and honest and resounding "Yes!" There was a caveat. "But I need to have a deep connect with my direct manager in order to feel like I had the information I needed to succeed. But yes, as part of a team, even a large corporate team, I am still looking for the fulcrum to move the planet from. Yes I am idealistic. But I am also uncompromising and ambitious. And I DO believe we are doing good work with open social initiatives and I will work towards that with all my heart."
"Okay," he said. "Well, things change all the time. We just had layoffs, but it's always a very fluid situation and we could be firing up a new project at any moment. You never know."
"Right," I said. "And now we've met and connected. And I know I could work for you, easily. I think we have a common passion for this stuff."
"Yes, agreed."
@jmacofearth
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