I offer two observations I hope will be helpful for some.
When booted, it is time for a reboot. Your capacities, connections, and passions are not impacted by a change of work status. This could well be the time to direct them in the way you have always wished. My sense is that there will be a significant increase in entrepreneurial energy from some highly talented people. They will find there is a real delight in delivering one’s passions unencumbered by artificial constraints of department policy or office politics. Some will from companies, partnering with their “dream team” colleagues and connections from Federal service. Others will blaze their route as a solopreneur, learning and growing with new skills and experiences while delivering their ideal product or service. Even those that fail will help transform the landscape of their interests by their efforts. I urge those considering this pathway to explore your local Small Business Development Center for a wealth of wisdom and important training and support for starting a business.
The biblical patriarch Jacob’s experience at the fork of the Yabbok River (Gen. 32:21-32) teaches us that our blessings are sometimes double-edged and can even leave us limping. Becoming unencumbered can also risk becoming unattached. It is even possible that one begins their new pathway carrying a newly acquired, life-long limp from their prior experiences. Realizing the potential of our blessings is not always easy, especially when we carry ongoing reminders of the past. That past will always be remembered; it does not disappear as time flows forward. In fact, it is important to recognize and even honor the hard feelings that are generated by some of those memories. More importantly though, appreciate and embrace the wonder and excitement that can await each and every day in this newest chapter of life. Broken need not mean unrepaired! See the kintsukuroi below for inspiration!