scooterdog

Okay, so a year ago I was pondering moving from Sunny Southern California to the East Coast (Bethesda – Gaithersburg Maryland to be exact).

So we did (myself, spouse and then 3-year old).

Winter (shoveled snow for the first time), Spring (ah the wonderful flowering trees!), Summer (amazing humidity and so many kinds of bugs) and Fall (great great colors).

Now Winter again, and we’re finding it hard to find our ‘spot’ here. Renting a house has its upsides (we can move back with minimal financial penalties) and downsides (we are putting up with the existing small kitchen and bathrooms, some 20 years old). Deciding to rent out our place in San Diego was a good move – was able to change renters from long distance, and it worked out okay.

Went looking at other rental houses last weekend, and it will be a challenge to move to another rental (considering a new elementary school district for an ‘upgrade’).

That being said, the new career move was a great move, as my income has gone up considerably (some 30+%!) and after another year or two will be able to move up the corporate ladder. Not without its challenges, this past year was a good one, and the coming year should be even better.

For all those who are ‘on the fence’ – be adventuresome and stike out boldly. We don’t have family nearby (the closest family is 2700 miles away) and making friends is harder on the East as people, while very nice, keep their respectful distance. Of course having a child makes meeting new people relatively easy, and we’re naturally outgoing folks, but its taking much longer than I originally thought to build lasting friendships, and we’re working on it.

With the Christmas holiday approaching we’re thinking of having our own family traditions, taking advantage of all that’s here. A few weeks ago we caught the Joffrey Ballet at the Kennedy Center performing the Nutcracker – it was great. Something we could not do in San Diego, unless we made a special effort to see something in Los Angeles, which has it’s own logistical difficulties.

Anyway, if you have a goal to relocate, consider all it’s upside and adventure. I’ve got no regrets whatsoever. Good luck!

It is worth it to join ToastMasters. There are groups large and small in just about every town and large city, likely very close to your home and workplace, in the mornings, lunchtimes and evenings.

The reason there are so many clubs is that this formula/system works. I’ve been involved now for <12 months and not only has it really improved my public speaking confidence, it has (I believe) vastly helped my career. (Thus the success of the system - it actually works.)

Every club reflects the members in it, and the one I’ve joined (in Del Mar, near San Diego) is remarkable for its depth of experience, variety of members, and commitment to excellence.

The firm I work for has a ‘company values award’ at the quarterly company meeting, which is a peer-submitted and senior-management approved award (three are given out each quarter). I thought I’d never make it up there, but yesterday I couldn’t believe it when my name was called!

I was recognized among my peers (the company has ~300 employees) and one of the kind things people said about me was that I ‘always had a positive attitude which makes a huge difference in the workplace’.

I believe this goal is one of those things that you cannot necessarily ‘do’, it is something you continually ‘are’, which is the best kind of goal – something to continually strive after.