Congratulations! You Were Fired. Free At Last
Justin Roberson wrote a post two days after being fired from his job (https://medium.com/@BauceSauce/i-got-fired-two-days-ago-309bdb2b0b2 ). It was a slight surprise to him and predictably, his emotions were in conflict. It was embarrassing. Getting fired was sad. Frightening. But, it also felt good. He was free!
What was he going to do next?
Over the years I have been involved personally, as well as with many mentees, who find themselves in a similar situation. They are no longer as crushed, bitter or angry as they used to be, a few decades back. It is business as usual now.
Many find themselves in a position, which has lost all meaning and provide no ongoing interest. But, it pays the bills and is a routine that we have become accustomed to. Then something happens! We get a chance to re-calibrate our life.
What does one do? Been there, have had that experience.
You may genuinely want to remain in your past industry, past type of job or in a larger company. If so, put all your energies into seeking such a job. Do not be distracted by the other options and disregard the rest of the post.
However, even if you were ambivalent about it, you are likely to land in the same spot. That is what your resume says. It talks about what you have done and is often silent about what you want to do- your passions and your yearnings. It will land you in another situation with similar bondage. A tempting and efficient outcome — but, a good one?
Not really!
If you do boomerang, a few more years of your life will be gone. After all, the intrinsic reasons for getting fired may not have changed in the new place. Are you willing to pay that price for a lifelong bout with insanity? Where is your sense of adventure?
‘Life is an adventure or nothing at all’ — Helen Keller
Dammit- you are FREE and have a real chance for a choice.
Make it!
It may be a blessing in disguise. If handled properly it can be the beginning of a more fulfilling life.
Today, we have myriads of options. An event like this is a perfect time to examine them. I have listed several options (by no means complete) so that you can begin to explore and narrow down the choices, before further exploration. All have their pros and cons. Future posts will have more details. You can pick the ones that are of interest to you:
Work For Someone Else
Full Time
- Corporate Job
- Emerging Company
Part Time
Job Sharing
Work For Yourself
Temporary Assignment
Interim Executive
Consultant
Partnering
Start your Own Company
- Franchisee
- Income Replacement Business
- High Potential Business
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Chinese philosopher Laoz1 (c 604- 531 bc)
Use your freedom to select the path(s) that seems to resonate with your heart.
If you want a heartwarming story of someone who went through that process and discusses it very candidly, see an impactful video of how Kim Valentini used her adversity of getting fired and turned it into something that was close to her heart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzUV717688I
Take the time to find your right fit; and you will be saying the same thing as Kim, “It was the best thing that happened to me.”
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Dr. Rajiv Tandon is an Entrepreneur, Educator and Mentor. He facilitates peer groups for CEOs of fast-growing companies in Minnesota. To learn more, sign up to get the email newsletter.
