Today's title is brought to you courtesy of Virgil (with my own addendum), and it's a quote I find on my mind a lot lately.
Sometimes, things move faster than others, and, looking back, you come to view those moments as turning points, for better or worse. When those moments come along, you can either ride the wave, or get rolled over.
Most of the time, these big turning points are preceded by simple, bold changes, made when the time is right. One of the biggest turning points for me so far has been the decision to leave the Rogue Valley and come to Portland. The decision precipitated a lot of radical changes, including a marriage to a wonderful gal, and a career change I wouldn't have anticipated a decade ago.
But is it enough to be merely bold? Or, does it take a little something else, as well?
I would argue that it does, and that that something else is diligence, defined as: "constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken". In order to achieve, you must strive. Boldness without diligence is recklessness. The life and works of our friend Virgil serve as vindication of my perception. After all, writing an epic is no light undertaking, but I'll tell you a secret. The personal reward for taking that risk, and putting in that effort can be huge.
With this in mind, today I am happy to announce that I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take yet another simple, bold move. As of the end of next week, I am leaving Yahoo! and beginning a new adventure with Blue Box Group and their "bad-ass band of sysadmins".
Please understand that this does not reflect on my feelings toward Yahoo!. I've actually never been more excited and confident about the direction the company is headed. Yahoo! has a vast talent pool of amazing, dedicated people, and I whole-heartedly believe that the only direction for them is up. In a lot of ways, I'm sad to be going at such a promising time.
"Why make the change, then? You already have a good job. And in this economy!", some have asked/lectured me. The answer's pretty simple: fortune favors the bold. You can't make decisions informed by fear. I think Blue Box is headed in an exciting direction, delivering best-of-breed services on a solid platform to customers with diverse and fascinating needs, and I can't wait to jump in and be a part of that.