Mark, another fine piece, thank you. Here is a perspective from the "other side of the coin". Starting in college my dream was for a successful career in corporate America - diligently climbing the ranks until eventually landing in the C-Suite. Upon graduation I set about on my journey, putting in the long hours, taking on the extra projects, and generally doing what was necessary to get noticed and position myself for the next rung in the ladder. Things were going well. Along the way I married (and am still married to the same wonderful woman 44 years later!) and eventually had 2 children. Work and career were going well with increasing levels of responsibility. Then the big day came. I was asked to become the leader for an entire market for the financial services company I was with. The catch: it would mean a move to another state. My boss told me that this was a great opportunity (he was correct) and explained that the executive track I was on required frequent moves once you reached a certain level (I am sure that others in the HD community can relate to this). Driving home I was already thinking about the new position, how I would implement my plans, etc. My wife had other ideas, however. As chief domestic engineer she was thinking about coordinating a move, finding a new home and community, getting the kids settled into a new school, etc., etc. She then asked me, "is it worth it?" This was a question I was not expecting. We talked a lot over the next 24 hours. I declined the promotion. A couple years later I was offered another promotion, which also required a move - I again declined the promotion. I was now off the executive track - no one ever tells you this officially, you just figure it out. Did we make the right decision? Both kids are well-adjusted, married with kids of their own and live about 15 minutes away giving us a lot of "grandkid time" (and some of our nieces and nephews have moved close by with their own families creating a greater sense of a larger family). We remain in the community that we know and love. Our nest egg is large enough to meet all of our expected needs plus some. So by all accounts life has been a success and we are happy. I am thankful and feel incredibly blessed. As a certain sportscaster often says, "take the win!" Yet sometimes in the quiet of late night I will often wonder: what if...what if I had chased the dream? How would things have ended up? I'll never know, and honestly, it occasionally gnaws at me.
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Mark, another fine piece, thank you. Here is a perspective from the "other side of the coin". Starting in college my dream was for a successful career in corporate America - diligently climbing the ranks until eventually landing in the C-Suite. Upon graduation I set about on my journey, putting in the long hours, taking on the extra projects, and generally doing what was necessary to get noticed and position myself for the next rung in the ladder. Things were going well. Along the way I married (and am still married to the same wonderful woman 44 years later!) and eventually had 2 children. Work and career were going well with increasing levels of responsibility. Then the big day came. I was asked to become the leader for an entire market for the financial services company I was with. The catch: it would mean a move to another state. My boss told me that this was a great opportunity (he was correct) and explained that the executive track I was on required frequent moves once you reached a certain level (I am sure that others in the HD community can relate to this). Driving home I was already thinking about the new position, how I would implement my plans, etc. My wife had other ideas, however. As chief domestic engineer she was thinking about coordinating a move, finding a new home and community, getting the kids settled into a new school, etc., etc. She then asked me, "is it worth it?" This was a question I was not expecting. We talked a lot over the next 24 hours. I declined the promotion. A couple years later I was offered another promotion, which also required a move - I again declined the promotion. I was now off the executive track - no one ever tells you this officially, you just figure it out. Did we make the right decision? Both kids are well-adjusted, married with kids of their own and live about 15 minutes away giving us a lot of "grandkid time" (and some of our nieces and nephews have moved close by with their own families creating a greater sense of a larger family). We remain in the community that we know and love. Our nest egg is large enough to meet all of our expected needs plus some. So by all accounts life has been a success and we are happy. I am thankful and feel incredibly blessed. As a certain sportscaster often says, "take the win!" Yet sometimes in the quiet of late night I will often wonder: what if...what if I had chased the dream? How would things have ended up? I'll never know, and honestly, it occasionally gnaws at me.
Post: Risk Adjusted: The Family Ledger
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