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BEYOND SUCCESS

FROM
Break Out: Finding Freedom
When You Don't Quite Fit The Mold
James R. Hasse

"Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us;
one hour of triumph is what brings the void ..."

William James
Life Worth Living?

The brown, leather chair squeaked with every squirm I went through in trying to get comfortable for my meeting with the president.

"OK," Bob said in a deep breath as he closed the door to his office and took three wide strides to his desk. A graying man in his late fifties, he sat down across from me and paused as his eyes ran across the horizon that spanned his corner office windows.

He cupped both palms and slid them down his jaw. Bob and I had worked together for 20 years, but, it was the first time I had noticed the age spots on the back of his hands.

"I've thought a lot about our conversation last week," he started slowly, "and I just wanted to check with you about whether you have any reservations about your decision."

"No," I said confidently, surprised that he expected I would have second thoughts. "This is something I've been thinking about for at least two years. I want to retire and start my own business."

"I just wanted to make sure," Bob said more abruptly, as he leaned back in his high-back chair. Somehow, he moved in his chair without causing the leather to squeak. "It's a big step."

"Well, at this stage in my life, I'm prepared -- financially and emotionally -- to take on some new challenges," I admitted. "It's not going to be easy, but, at the same time, I'm excited about it." It came out just as I had rehearsed it the night before.

[Continued On Next Page: Click Here]

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