I have very fond memories growing up.  I had the best father and mother a child could ask for in parents.  My mother was always there for me.  She had a hot meal ready for our family every night.  We always had everything we wanted, and more than we ever really needed.  Both parents taught me morally what was right and wrong. My father taught me how to be a man and how to treat everyone with respect.  Together, they were terrific role models to both my brother and me.  I think both David and I strive to be to our kids what they were to us.  That, however, is a tall order.

My father is, and has always been, a charming man.  He has a smile that is unforgettable, a laugh that is contagious, and to this day “lights up a room” when you walk into it.  Being a Dentist for 40 years, there isn’t a place in Austin where he doesn’t run into somebody that knows him.  He is very patient.  Not a whole lot irritates him and he always tends to give people the benefit of the doubt.  He is a loyal person, and people tend to naturally gravitate towards him.

Last weekend, we went hunting in South Texas.  Dove hunting is and has always been one of my favorite pastimes.  Sitting in a chair, watching the sun go down, and taking aim at the doves that pass by is one of the most relaxing things in the world to me.  It had rained hard the days prior to our hunt, so we weren’t expecting much.  It wasn’t the best hunt, but very fun.  We both came close to getting our limits.   

As the hunt came to an end our vision began to play tricks on us and bull bats begin to circle the pond.  If we weren't careful, we would have shot one of those birds, thinking it is a dove.  My dad yelled at me “Son, I think it is the end of the hunt”.  We wraped it up.  No more doves were coming that day.

Now earlier, I said my father was a patient man, and he is loyal.  He is those things.  When he knows that nothing good will come out of a situation, he oftentimes excuses himself.  He has always said to me when a situation gets out of control, “Son, it is the end of the hunt”.  That night, the dove hunt was over.  I finally understood after all of these years what he was trying to say when he said that.  Do you see the comparison between hunting and saying The End of the Hunt?  Quite simply, my dad was saying "It is over".     

We all wave the white flag sometimes in our careers.  There gets to be the point of no return. It truly is the End of the Hunt.   How do you know when it is the End of the Hunt?  These things may happen to you.  Your hunt may end in one of these scenarios.

1)   When management no longer supports you and does not have your best interest at heart

2)   When the company has no further growth opportunities and you are growing stale in your current role

3)   When money is a problem and they can not afford to pay you a paycheck any longer

4)   When you are working for a company that no longer offers a competitive product/service

5)   When a company relocates and you aren’t able or willing to relocate

6)   When your ethical values are challenged and being true to yourself is more important than compromising your integrity

7)   When the hours you are working are no longer conducive to your family

8)   When the work environment is made so uncomfortable that it effects your health

9)   When someone/ company continually lies to you

10) When you have been hurt too much by a company/management that you just simply don’t care any more.

What is your End of the Hunt?