OK, this is my very first blog. My name is Mike Kravinsky. I don't know if president is too strong a word for what this is. Let's just say I'm the  web site operator of NextNik.com, The site for what's next in our lives and in the world. Personally, I started this site because I'm getting close to an early retirement. I've worked for ABC News in Washington, D.C. for over 25 years. I'm satisfied with the job, the people that I work with are great, even the commute is pretty stress free. It's just that I've been doing it for over 25 years. Don't get me wrong. ABC / Disney has been great, even though the industry is changing big time. They still need video editors, so far. It's just that I've been doing it for over 25 years (did I mention that?). Others say, "What are you nuts? People would give their right arm to have a full time job at ABC." I don't know about that, it would be harder to edit. It's just, well, 25 years, you know? 

So for arguments sake, let's just say ABC offers me a buyout (they do that from time to time ).  Now what. This got me thinking, that there are probably many people in my position. People who are getting close to retirement, are ready to move on, but don't know what to move on to. I don't see myself retiring in a traditional sense. I don't play golf, we love travel, but there's only so much dough for that. There are only so many chores around the house that I could do before I finish and start to  drive my wife nuts. 

I came to the conclusion that retirement is not the word that should be used here. Liza, my wife, ever the wordsmith came up with a perfect word for this transition "Liberation".  We are liberated to try something new. You could start all over again. 

The original concept for this site was just that. Nextnik would focus on what to do when your liberated. But what about all the other transitions in our lives. What if you have the courage to leave a comfortable job to try your hand at business or you've just graduated from college and are entering the workforce. A breakup, divorce or a death in the family and how you move on. How about the world and all the cultural and technological changes that are happening NEXT and how we deal with them. 

I want to thank Boom Salvador, my amazing webmaster, for spending many nights up to make this site as interactive as possible. I highly recommend him if you need a site built. Send a request in the contact page, and I'll be sure to pass it along to him. And to Liza, my wife, who when I suggested Nextnik to her, she kept prodding me until I actually went through with it. 

There are so many next's in our lives. I'll be blogging about how it's going, but I'd like to know what "next" your dealing with.