I formatted my computer this afternoon; today was my last day with High Plains Internet, Inc. I’ve been employed there since January 17th, 2001 – a term of three years, eight months and twenty-nine days. Well served, I might add. Had an exit interview with Mike this afternoon, where we basically went over some basic day-to-day things, and then got down to business: what are the single best and worst things about HPI. Worst thing about HPI: management bullshit. Too much non-decisiveness, too much restriction on those who can produce, too much hmm & haa, not enough motivation and direction. The best thing about HPI – since the fateful blowout that occurred right after [L=http://rand0m.org/viewcomments.php?NewsID=407]this post[/L], the only thing that kept me there is my loyalty to my fellow coworkers. I know that Angelo, Sam & Jack would go to the mat for me in a heartbeat and that I would do the same for them; that kept us together and kept the company moving. It felt really weird packing up all my stuff. It was almost cinema material – me, standing there, alone in my office, packing things into a random paper bag. Picking up a hat and having the memories come rushing back. Changing my voicemail and thinking of all the friends and associates that have become a part of my life. Thinking of the kinky things that happened in my office and the wild quirks of my coworkers. And remembering the difficult and somber times that we endured. Picking up my coffee cup and thinking of how out of place it feels to be putting it in a bag instead of setting it on the desk where it resided. Thinking of how far I had helped take the company – from the basement of a shoe store, plagued with a spiraling income and even less customers, to a profitable business with an outstanding infrastructure housed on the cushy 11th floor of one of Colorado Springs’ only highrises. It has been a long, hard road and although there is a lot of road ahead, this is my stop. Opportunity is a wild beast. There was a lot of inertia that made want to stay where I was – security, power, ego. Unfortunately, that was a static inertia as I had already reached the ceiling of all the things HPI could offer me — with no room to grow in sight. It was very difficult to decide to move on to greener pastures. Extremely difficult. I can’t tell you how much time I spent thinking about it, how many of my friends, mentors and family I spoke to and consulted with about that decision. I can tell you, however, that there is only one thing you can do when opportunity rears its head in the form of risk & uncertainty: smile, cast aside your indecision and go for it.