Kate Snedeker, communications consultant

Back in the day, when time-on-hand outweighed kids-in-house, my husband started an idea book. He’s an engineer, and he filled the spiral-bound ledger with drawings and inventions that would some day make us a million dollars. I even offered a few ideas myself.

I opened it the other day and was startled to see we stopped thinking creatively several years ago (see above time/kid reference). But what we wrote when we had the energy was quite good.

Before I share, a caveat: someone else may have already invented these, but my voluminous research (okay, quick Google search) didn’t turn up anything, so we’ll claim credit.

A sampling from our book:

Solar-powered bridge warmer to eliminate ice build-up in winter

Microscopic transmitter to locate important items (jewelry, remote controls)

Desktop torchiere (one of those lamps that shoot light straight up)

Toddler utensils that change color with the temperature of the food

Drive-thru bagel shop (that was mine!)

Genius but still secret idea for point-of-sale at a supermarket (if you work for Marsh, Kroger or Whole Foods, contact me immediately—I’m about to save your business!)

Someday, when the kids are older, we’ll dust off the idea book. For now, I view it as a relic of a quieter, saner time.

What’s your million-dollar idea? And what’s keeping you from executing it?

I’m always amused by those people who claim to have no regrets. Seriously? No regrets?

I have regrets–a dozen a day: I regret I wore these itchy pants; I regret I ate that; I regret I didn’t call you back; I regret I took Meridian instead of 465; I regret that haircut; I regret letting my son cry it out; and I always regret a third glass of wine. Regrets? I got a million of them.

And so when my employer of 10 years was approaching its third round of job cuts, and with images of a severance package dancing in my head, there were many sleepless nights. In this job market? With no firm leads?

I had a comfortable position at a high-profile Indianapolis company. I had a good paycheck, the ear of the CEO and health benefits for me and my children. I worked downtown, had a flexible schedule, and generally enjoyed the perks of corporate life. While I had been approached off and on through the years, I had never really considered leaving.

And yet…

Ten years in one spot, even with increasing responsibility, even in an exciting industry, was both rewarding and exhausting. Facing the same daily battles, knowing where the obstacles would be, knowing the answers before I asked the questions. The comfort of it all was sometimes itchier than those pants.

In the end, I took the severance. And while I’m extremely blessed to have some time to consider what’s next, I’m working harder than I ever have to figure out what that might be. It may be a full-time position in communications, or it may be staying out on my own to work with clients. For the first time in a long time, this well-scheduled life is unscheduled.

And you know what? I’ve got no regrets about it.