It's rare when a single day stands out so vividly in your mind. A day that you know you'll look back on as a turning point in your life. Today was one of those days for me.

I guess it started last Friday when I turned in my resignation from my safe, secure job in exchange for a wild adventure of possibilities and opportunities. My immediate boss, while a little stunned, took the news well. He wished me luck on my dream quest and told me to hold off announcing anything to the team until he had a chance to talk to his boss and the head of the consulting group I belonged to.

My boss' boss was traveling for business in Europe and wouldn't be back until Wednesday. That was today. He had called early in the week to set up a time to talk as soon as he returned to the San Jose office. Boom, 9:00 am rolled around quickly this morning and I found myself sitting in his office a cup of mocha coffee in my hand and butterflies in my stomach.

The conversation began pleasant enough. "Douglas, Douglas, Douglas (Douglas is my middle name and the one I went by at work. The reason is a story for another day), what are you thinking? Don't you know how much we care for you here and that we need you." he said in his thick Italian accent. "Tell me what you are doing."

"Well, there's no real easy way to say this, but I'm handing in my resignation to pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in search for what makes people successful and happy. It's a quest for personal greatness. After three years here, the time has come for me to move on. Myself and a friend have started a project called Quest-4. The project includes an interactive web site as we travel across the US interviewing and studying people from all walks of life as they pursue their success paths. At the end of the travel, we're publishing a book targeted at helping others learn from our experiences and the experiences of others. I know it sounds crazy, but it feels right. It feels good, and I hope you can support this opportunity."

"You're crazy. Before I let you go, I want to see the economic impact of this move. You're family here and I don't want you to make a major mistake. What do I need to get you in order to have you stay? Can't you do both? Can't you write the book from here?"

"Technically, I could write in the evenings after work, but that's not the point. It wouldn't be fair to you or me. When I commit to something it's 100%. It wouldn't be fair to split my time between two things that require so much of it. Besides, it's not about the money. It's about the process. It's about doing what you love. The money will follow and I'll be okay."

"Give it a few days and think about it. It the meantime I'll come up with a counter offer."

"I appreciate your efforts, but I don't want to put you in a bad position politically. I don't want you to go for bat for me if there's no chance that I'll swing at the pitch."

With that he bowed his head, perhaps in defeat or perhaps in pity. I realize a lot of people may not understand taking a nonstandard path, but I'm excited to be on it and I'll let you know how it goes.