Since my last post, life has shifted. I’ve stepped down as CEO of Made Open and moved into a part-time strategic role.
In some ways, a lot has changed and nothing at all. I’m still waking up at 5am, getting up at 6. I’m still working hard for the company I care about. But, other than that, everything feels different.
Next week, I turn 50. I’m mindful that I’m about to enter “Sniper Valley” – that age where health can start to go wrong quickly and without warning. So, on that level, I’m grateful to have made a change. Already, I feel calmer, mentally lighter, healthier.
I’ve left Made Open in good hands. Phil, our new CEO, is bringing clarity to things I have been cloudy on – helped, I think, by the care and support I’ve given him in return. He has taken on a lot of responsibility but not all.
My role is evolving too. At long last, it’s time to give shape to the ideas and thoughts that have been swirling around in my head for years. Time to rediscover the motivations that have guided me for so long but are rarely voiced.
Running a business is exhausting – especially when you care about the details and feel responsible for everyone. Over Christmas, I accepted that something had to change. I made the decision to step down in the New Year.
When I told Kathryn, she was annoyed with me at first because I had no clear plan B. Wisely, she encouraged me to sit with the decision for a few weeks. I did. And when I reached the same conclusion two weeks later, I absolutely knew it was the right decision because it was made with clarity, not stress.
During those weeks, I started asking: what do I want next?
Answering that question is not as easy as it sounds.
For a start, there are many things to consider – personal desires, financial constraints, practical expectations. It’s one thing to self-reflect but another to find answers to life’s big questions.
I believe everyone has to answer this question at various points in their life – because the answers define the life we want to build.
What I have discovered is that the answers don’t need to be grand or life-changing. They don’t have to involve bold moves or big adventures.
And that’s the place I arrived at, in the end. My “big change” involved a “small tweak”. Nothing too dramatic – just something I hope will make a subtle difference.
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” Carl Jung