Knowing When It’s Time to Move On

How Mr. Biden Reminded Me of a Life Lesson

Career paths are lined with detours. And those diversions aren’t always clearly marked. So when we finally realize we’re off course, it’s hard to adjust.

Joe Biden just discovered he had to make a big course correction. We know it wasn’t easy for him because we watched him fight it. But now, having made that choice, it will change his life and the lives of millions.

How many times have we faced similar decisions that weren’t as big globally, but still impact us personally? And how many times did we choose the status quo over change?

I know I’ve had plenty of those moments. I’ve found myself in dead-end jobs that were related to my passion for photography and writing, but ultimately were about paperwork and administration. Then one day I would stare at the ToDo list and ask, “What am I doing here?”

Circumstances also help nudge us along. For years I recorded photography training courses for lynda.com. I thought it was going to be my forever job. They liked my work, audiences responded with thousands of views, and my monthly checks were fantastic.

Then lynda.com became LinkedIn Learning which was later bought by Microsoft — and all along the way I was getting older. I woke up one morning and realized they weren’t interested in me anymore. That’s hard to take. I pretended everything was OK. But finally, I accepted reality.

Looking back, I should have moved on earlier because what I created to replace that job turned out to be better. More on that in a moment.

These thoughts bubbled up as I watched President Joe Biden wrestle with his decision to stand down and not run for re-election, a change that he railed against. He had overcome so many odds to reach the presidency, and now he was being asked to willingly let it go.

Even the leader of the free world isn’t immune from the same emotions that you or I face. Shifting landscapes shake everyone.

There’s that moment when you realize the right thing to do, but aren’t ready to say it out loud. Then the anguish sets in, leading to a battle between your head that thinks it knows what’s right, and your heart that believes…