One of my problems, I’ve come to realize, is that the more experience I get under my belt the quicker I want things to come. Let me give you the perfect example. I’ve long wanted to learn how to code. I’m not interested in changing careers or spending time coding into the wee hours of the morning. However, I’m responsible for managing technology and all the people & process that comes with that. Earlier in my career I was “closer” to the day to day coding. I would occasionally write my own queries to pull raw data, I would examine the code of a page to figure out what was going on. I used the knowledge to better converse with my developers and DBAs in determining the feasibility of solutions. As my career has advanced, I’ve had to deal with more administration functions, management work, etc., and therefore have lost some of my skillset regarding coding, understanding what is possible, and ultimately my ability to critically think about what my team tells me. Hence my desire to dive into coding.

I’ve spent/wasted a decent amount of time deciding what language to learn. Something that truly is a waste as I’ve learned (and probably already knew). I’ve downloaded, watched, and interacted with tutorials on iOS, Java, PHP, Ruby on Rails, and others. I briefly read about object oriented principles, agile development methods, and the development lifecycle. Basically, I’ve skimmed over the surface of coding and never actually taken the plunge. I spent the weekend doing a bit of a “self-assessment” trying to understand why I can’t just get this going. The answer that I get is…wait for it…I want it to be easier. Not really profound, but true. I’ve spent a lot of hours in the classroom and in the real world amassing, what I would call, a wealth of knowledge. In my day to day job, I am occasionally challenged and need to pull from my past experience to put together a solution. However, it is all within an area in which I am COMFORTABLE.

I think that descriptive word is the key. Things are comfortable. When I have to step outside that comfort zone and learn things I tend to let things slide. I think part of my brain says, “You should understand this better…don’t you manage people who do this?” I need to dive in and get started.

With that said, I am going to start learning how to program in PHP. Again, back to what I said before, I’m not looking to change careers and lock myself in a room with a screen. (Yes, I know that all coders don’t do that…but it is quite the stereotype isn’t it?) However, I need to stretch outside of my comfort zone, in fact I think it is more important that I am occasionally uncomfortable than that I learn PHP. I think all of us need to push outside of our comfort zones. It’s good to be uncomfortable every so often…it reminds us to grow and develop. Hopefully in a few months I’ll be able to report back that I’ve made some progress.

This week, however, I went back to work.  Like the next guy, there always is a bit of time to spin up the engines again, and get re-engaged in the day to day grind of work.  However, this time was a bit different.  I’ve spent the week thinking about what is different, why I feel different, and most importantly how to keep it.  I think it boils down to perspective.  You see, I’m what you (and definitely my wife) would call a work-a-holic.  I’ve always got my iPhone with me, checking email, making calls, checking up on things.  I have a very hard time detaching myself from work, and tend to run around with the complex that the world will probably end if I don’t make that call or send that email.  However, this past week, I was forced to “unplug” as many of the places we went I couldn’t get a signal, and what I discovered was that the world kept on going.  Yes, I know, it’s quite the novel concept.  However, I think it was enough of a nudge to put things into a different perspective.  I like it.  I think I’ll try to keep it. 

The most important things are my wife, my boys, my faith, my friends, and how I treat them all.  Getting wrapped up in revenue, gross margin, efficiency, call volume, projections, EBITDA, etc. is important and a necessary part of life (unless you just happen to be independently wealthy).  However, it shouldn’t come at the expense of those things most important.  I should have the energy and desire to spend time with my loved ones and not allow any job to suck that out of me like a vampire.  So I won’t.  I’m still passionate about being successful, and affecting outcomes such that those around me are also successful.  I love solving problems, and creating long-lasting, innovative solutions.  But if that is going to interfere with a little league game, date night with my wife, chilling with my boys playing XBOX, or developing a stronger relationship with my God, then that price is too high and I won’t pay it.

Just thought I’d share…