On Making a Radical Change

Leading change within organizations is an all-consuming activity. It dominates my life because human beings change so long as they do not have to change personally. Any change is uncomfortable, awkward, and challenging to process, mainly when it involves a person's career. This week, I am making a significant change in my life, and I feel compelled to talk about it. 

I have two rules regarding this blog. I avoid discussing partisan politics because there are better places to find that content. I also do not talk about my personal life. The apparent reason is that I consider it vain and not crucial to my overall mission of talking about making business more sustainable, satisfying, and sane. I share my thoughts about software development, agile, leadership, entrepreneurship, and improving business each week. I have upheld these rules for over twelve years. I am a lonely voice in the wilderness. Today, I am going to break with tradition. 

My career is typical of many people of my generation. I attended college only to graduate into an unwelcoming job market, and then I stumbled into a different profession after spending my young adulthood working various odd jobs. The internet and technology gave me a livelihood and a calling. I did pay the price for that call. Being a junior programmer meant years of career instability. The constant stress of fixing problems for impatient employers with tight deadlines impacted my ability to remain married and live a healthy lifestyle. The blog you are reading was born during the wreckage of my second divorce.

My tool for dealing with stress and failure was food. I ate, and I overate. I gained weight by combining this pathology with a sedentary career and lack of exercise. At my heaviest, I was three hundred and forty pounds. Consequently, this neglect leads to complications like gout and high blood pressure. During the summer of 2022, I was on vacation, and my weight prevented me from enjoying myself. The heat was too much. Walking from place to place was exhausting, and I felt like I was a wet blanket with the woman who loved me. It was a moment of clarity, and I decided I needed to change. My obesity was starting to impact my relationships and my health. This week, I am undergoing weight loss surgery, starting a year-long process of living a better and healthier life. 

If I had to take this drastic step to effect change, I wonder why executives and professionals struggle to make a change when they have their moment of clarity. I can speculate, but it will not be helpful as I need to concentrate on my health and the journey I am about to begin. 

Change can happen in small increments or through drastic action. Weight loss surgery is necessary if I want to stick around and continue my professional mission of improving the business world. I will be a different person with the same dedication to making life better for everyone who works in an office one cubical at a time. 

Until next time.