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September 24, 2005

Leaving the Fast Track

In an interesting article for the Chicago Tribune, Barbara Rose writes about the rising trend of successful executives walking away from senior-level positions in favor of a different lifestyle.

CHICAGO - On an ordinary workday, a father mowed his lawn with his sons. A mother belted out Billy Joel tunes on a grand piano. A daughter cared for her elderly mother.

All of them were top executives who walked away from high-paying jobs at an age when many are just getting going -- in their mid- to late 40s -- to make new lives that suit them better.

Members of a privileged minority who can afford to stop working for pay, their motivations for jumping off the fast track are as varied as their personalities. What they share is a conviction that their worth extends beyond their roles as corporate strivers.

They are part of a broader trend in American life where more workers are questioning how they spend their time and the tradeoffs associated with demanding careers, workplace experts say. Watershed events such as the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and corporate scandals spurred many to reassess their priorities.

``Many people have reached a point where going to work for a paycheck is not really cutting it anymore,'' said Anita Sharpe, co-founding editor of Worthwhile, an Atlanta-based magazine about meaningful work.

I run my business, Blue Sky Resumes, with my husband. Both of us walked away from executive positions to start up our business. It was certainly a risk, but it was one that has paid off for both of us. I relish the small pleasures of life now, such as reading the newspaper in the morning, or cooking dinner in the evening. I no longer struggle with the hour-long commute each way. I no longer worry about office politics, or whether my CEO is making the right decision for the business. We work from home, as do the freelance employees who make up our virtual business. If I want to bake bread in between phone meetings, I can do it. On a sunny day, we can get up and take a walk in the middle of the day. But best of all, we control our workload. If things get too busy, we can turn down new clients for a while. If a strategic partnership isn't going well, we can walk away.

Like many of the people featured in the Chicago Tribune article, we are not looking to conquer the world. We just want to enjoy our lives. For us, that meant walking away from corporate life.

Posted by Louise at September 24, 2005 02:21 PM