It has become evident that I have gone as far as I can in my current job and I am blocked from advancement.  I have been with my current organization at my company since 2004.  I have been assigned to some ugly projects that have not really turned out very well for me.      The problem with working at large company in the same group for a long time is that I still get an occasional question about stuff that I worked on when I first joined the group.   This leads me to the conclusion that I still have every job assignment I was ever given during the last six years.

I have spent a great deal of time at work over the last six years.  I have come to the conclusion that a lot of it was not for the better.  I have not been rewarded for working longer; I have been only rewarded for accomplishments which at times have been difficult in my current organization.

So here is my plan:

• My company offers a mentoring program; I can meet with someone in a vastly different job function and get some career advice.
• Establish a board of adviser.   I don’t currently talk to anyone about my career and don’t really have any plan today.  I think having some people that give me honest feedback is important.
• I need to find somewhere where I can find some passion.  My current job is working on a very high profile project for my company but I don’t have any passion it.  I recently took a personality test and it classified me as a Artisan.  The test told me that I don’t like routine.  Since, I have been running our weekly regression tests (same tests every week) for the last 18 months I now understand why I don’t like going to work anymore.
• I need to re-establish my brand.  I think it has somewhat been tarnished over the years.  It was clearly my brand that I established around 1999 that got me my current job.    Back in 1999 I was introduced to the manager who hired me into my current job.    It was because I was the go to guy in my organization back then.  It was because of this relationship with my manager that I got the job in 2004.
• I need to rethink work.   I have become convinced that I work harder and longer hours than a medieval serf.   The thing with a serf was that life was hard but they worked really hard in short bursts and didn’t spend all of their time toiling in the fields.    I have read Tim Ferris book the 4 hour workweek.   I don’t think he only works for 4 hours a week but he has found his passion and is following it.
• I don’t want to do crap I don’t want to do anymore.   As I tune up my career plan I would like to work on things I like rather than punishing my1self with crap I hate to do.  A funny story my dad told me; he doesn’t iron shirts until he needs to wear them.  The reason is he hates to iron and if he dropped dead tonight he would regret having spent time ironing shirts when he could have been doing something that he wanted to do.
• My personality likes to focus on lots of different things.  I get easily bored after 3-6 months on the same project.   I want to try new things and experience new things on a regular basis.    I think this involves far more risk taking than I have done in the past.

I guess in conclusion I have stayed in my current job way to long.   The nature of the organization I am in is that I cannot stay where I am but at the same time I am stuck with what I have become in this organization.  It is time to rebrand myself and get out of my comfort zone to experience some new things.   This blog is an attempt to find new voice and establish a new brand.

I will keep you updated on my progress.  Please feel free to share any similar experiences or advice that you have in the comments.

 

• My exercise regimen is not working for weight loss.  Walking for 1 – 2 hours a day and yoga a couple times a week is great but it is not giving me weight loss.

• I need to compress my workout to a shorter amount of time.  I don’t have a lot of time but need a higher return on my investment.  I have worked out for up to two hours per day several days per week

• I still need to take the time to walk with Blaze, he will be 12 yrs old in April.  In January he had his annual check up and got a good bill of health.  I believe walking a mile every day has helped him avoid problems that a lot of older dogs have.

• I feel less effective than I could be at work.  I think some of this is caused by habits established when I was tired most of the time.

• My work / life balance seems a little out of balance at the current time.  Right now it feels like I have a lot of personal stuff on my to do list that is neglected.  My work to do list seems very lightweight right now; I need to plan out my work better so that I can get focus better on both issues.

• I have made great progress but need to get the next level of benefit. In 2007 I weighed 229lbs with 32% body fat. This means I had about 156lbs of lean muscle; I have increased my lean muscle to 168lbs in the last year.

To address the issues I identified above I will need to work on creating a few new habits and routines.

• I will start interval training to increase my metabolism. Interval training is a different way to workout. I will increase the intensity of my workout to the maximum I can output for a few minutes, continue with my workout at a much lower intensity.   I will repeat this for 4 – 10 reps to start with and see what feels right.  Several studies have shown interval training creates more muscle mass and improves metabolic function.  Since this workout will have a much higher intensity I will be able to work out less and achieve more.

• I will continue to monitor my weight and body fat and food intake.  I will also continue to take a snack everyday to work.

• I will need focus on getting my work tasks flushed out and getting into balance.  Looking for the best way to execute all my tasks.  My work will be changing a lot over the next few weeks.   So there will be new challenges in this area.

 

I did not loose or gain any weight while consuming more calories.  For most of the experiment, I think my hunger was under much better control than it has been in the past.   I would often find myself extremely hungry, craving carbohydrates in the afternoon.

Other accomplishments during the experiment

• I started tracking my food intake and exercise using BalanceLog.
• I purchased a new scale for measuring body fat and weight.
• I increased my exercise by doing Yoga and walking more.

Other than regular drops in my energy level in the afternoon I have been doing really well.

 

Starting off the new year I am going to declare war on junk food.  This is part of a long term goal to get down to 200 lbs.  I am currently 235lbs and want to get to 200lbs by the end of this year.   To achieve this goal I need loose about 2/3 of a pound per week.

A previous goal was to eat a good healthy filling breakfast daily.    I have achieved the goal for the past several months.  I have found this to work really well and keeps my hunger away all morning.

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Pinto, Black, Cannelloni , or Kidney beans (from a can already cooked)
• 1/2 cup Peas, Green Beans or mixed vegetables. (from a can or frozen)
• A couple of drops of Tabasco

I put all the ingredients on a skillet and cook it using olive oil to instead of butter or vegetable oil.  I serve it up on a plate and eat it all together it is filling and very tasty.   I can change things around with different beans and vegetables.  The Cannelloni beans are my favorite by far.

For the entire month of January, I will bring 2 healthy well balanced snacks each day to work.

Some potential snacks:

• Rice cakes with peanut butter and a piece of fruit
• Unsalted whole raw almonds (or other nuts) and piece of fruit
• Cheese + piece of fruit
• Yogurt with flax seed mixed in and a piece of fruit
• Carrots and yogurt

You may have noticed that most of the snacks include fruit and a source of fat and protein.  This is because a snack of all carbohydrates will force the blood sugar level to spike leaving you hungry soon after you eat it.   The all carbohydrate snack is typically found in the vending machine at work.

Here is how it works:  The fat and protein in the snacks will slow down the absorption of the carbohydrates.  The fruit is the main source of carbohydrates in the snack.  The fruit has fiber which will slow down the absorption of the carbohydrates in the fruit.   This will eliminate a spike in the blood glucose which may give you a short term boost followed by a crash.

For the rest of January I will post daily and weekly on my progress as I track this goal.