The freedom to work on lots of different programs with different people, coupled with the freedom to have more control over my work/life balance.
It all starts with patience. Patience in working with lots of dynamic, goal-oriented individuals within the framework of a tight schedule. The hardest, but most important aspect for me is being patient while people are discussing ideas and then seizing opportunities to focus them as their ideas coalesce.
The whole goal for the government is to expedite review by establishing evaluation criteria. The key is to focus on what the government wants to evaluate versus what the organization wants to tell them.
The challenge of making any team I work with understand there’s a lot more that goes on after writing is submitted. Having the team accept that needs to be a part of the schedule.
I went to Costa Rica last June. The difference in every day mentality and relaxation in Costa Rica was life-altering. It made me realize there’s more to life than work and money. In addition to that, the country was absolutely gorgeous in every possible way.
I’m a published author and, as often as possible, do woodworking as a hobby to keep me humbled and grounded. There’s no satisfaction like building something tangible.
This may sound strange, but Robin Williams. His career, movies, and the things he did during his career seemed to be parallel to things going on in my life at the same time. I would love to talk to him about how important humor is in dealing with the stress of the human condition. How it is a far more valuable tool than the credit it receives. He has used it to show love, distraction, silliness and caring. I find that a form of magic.