Dear Cheryl:

I believe you are on the right track. I too am leaving a job similar to
yours in management style and people. I hope my new job does not turn out to
be similar. I am very educated and somewhat over educated in many respects
and have a wealth of experence. I find myself becoming too intense about
life and want to surround myself with alternative and and creative and
caring people only and suffer anyone else. However, this is who I am.

You are on the right track at developing your own business - serenity.com.
Stick with it. I would forget corporate life, I have wanted to for many
years. Many larger companies where once small too, just like yours, no
different. They had to struggle and managed to survive - I envy them in many
ways.

Focus on a small business that you are passionate and care about, whether
that be serenitycat.com or something else and live in an environment with
people who are passionate about the same things as you. I would love to move
to Boulder, CO and live in a town near the mountains, people who are liberal
and care and have passion for others. Grow your business so it is
self-sustaining. I know a person who I used to work with who has had success
and he is passionate about what he did and had multiple failures in small
business until one became very successful. Work at it and grow the business
perhaps around yoga products or an outdoor activity or animals.

In my view, you will grow personally and develop more skills in a business
like this than working for corporate America or Canada.

Namaste'

Stephen