Day 1 - Funemployment about to commence

Day 1

Today is Day 1 of ‘funemployment.’

Hmm… that doesn’t sound quite right since I am still employed until the end of December, and then have a few months of severance after that.

Yesterday, I was given notice that I will soon be entering ‘funemployment.’

Yesterday, after five years and three weeks of actual employment, I was informed that my last day of work with Golder Associates will be December 30^th. Yesterday was therefore Day 0, and I consider today Day 1, the first day of my new view of tomorrow. That sounds better.

I actually saw this day coming over the past couple weeks, so am not really surprised. Things just kinda…felt…like they were heading in this direction. New projects weren’t coming up, despite me telling people I had capacity. Meetings kept getting postponed, and team meetings just didn’t have the urgency towards new projects that they used to. My boss wasn’t putting too much energy into making sure I was that busy. And my former boss (who became my boss’s boss, but who hired me and I still had a close working relationship with) wasn’t really around or as involved as she had been. She had taken on additional duties, which is what I chalked it up to, but it still felt like things weren’t going anywhere.

And, as it turned out, I was right. The entire global IT team at Golder has been eliminated, in favour of having an outside company provide all the services we currently provide in house. Damn. 

I had actually already been thinking that it was time for a change and have been saying so for the past year or so to anyone that would listen. This readiness for change puts me in a good position to look forward towards what the next part of my life is going to entail. I will certainly do some travelling, as I want to see more of the world and go to new places; I have had a New Zealand trip on my mind for some time, and this seems like the right time (obviously) to go. Anyone want to go with me?? Aiming for the end of January.

I will do some mid-week skiing. I can drive through the Rocky Mountains, and explore and enjoy a few new places I haven never been to, or that I haven’t been to in a while. Maybe I will get to Mount Hemlock, and look for the brand new skis I left there after a ski race when I was 11 years old (sorry dad). Of course, maybe another trip back to Whistler is in order. Anyone want to go skiing?

I will continue volunteering. I am working on Leading Change 2017, and can spend some additional time preparing for that event. Since I am not going to be getting any new projects at work, I will have lots of free time to focus on that and I can’t wait to see what the next evolution of Leading Change looks like. Keep your eyes out, we will be in Toronto on April 3^rd, 2017!

Perhaps I will get some additional volunteer time in with the Liberal Party. They’ve taken some heat from my environmentalist friends lately, so could probably use my help.

And I will continue writing. I have signed up for Level 2 of the Creative Writing Continuing Education class at MRU, and hopefully can keep my creative juices flowing. I will also keep writing here on my blog about my time spent saving the world, as new opportunities come up. After all, as I wrote in my first posting in 2011, “This way people can read about all the things that are happening in my life, without the bother of having to hear about what is happening in yours.”

So, here I am on Day 1, September 28^th, 2016. Preparing for new opportunities in life. Thinking about the conversation we all had in grade 9, and to which I haven’t yet figured out: What do I want to be when I grow up. Now seems like a good time to get that question answered.

My first step is to set some goals for myself over the next several months of employment and then after. I will pin those goals at my desk at work for now, at my home, on my phone. I will re-read them before I go to bed and update them when I wake up. I will have a list of things I want to accomplish, and I will have a list of things I did accomplish. Goal setting.

Finally, while this is certainly a hard time for me, I can only imagine how my co-workers are doing. I have no kids to take care of, I have no one to be responsible for other than me, and my mother's limitless worry (now grown from my personal life to my employment). I want my peers to know I am thinking of them, and wishing them every possible success they need to get their lives back together. Reach out to me, and I will offer you any assistance I can. I am ok, I want you to be ok as well. Good luck.

To round out how I feel right now: This is a new opportunity, and I WILL LAND ON MY FEET! After doing some other fun things of course.

Obviously this is not an exhaustive list, and will change and update as time marches forward.

Goals to the end of December:

Don’t be a fuckin slob

Write one short story a week (500-1000 words)

o    If you want a personalized short story, let me know what it should be about! (requires a $5 donation to a charity of your choice)

-       Make Leading Change 2017 a priority

-       Write my business plan

-       I will literally argue with anyone on Facebook (or anywhere) who is voting #Drumpf.

-       CUA Party is going to be great! (November 5^th!)

-       Save money. Don’t spend it on random shit anymore.

Goals from January to April:
Don’t get depressed
Get up every day before 9 AM
Don’t get lazy, and don’t wear sweatpants! Well, at least not every day.
Volunteer some more.
Travel!
Focus on my business plan
Write one to two short stories every week

The next chapter in my life is coming up and I am excited to figure out what that is.

Thanks for reading.

-Elliot