A Job Loss May be the Best Thing that ever Happened to You

Some psychologists state that for many people a job loss may be one of the most devastating events in life. It can be a major blow to your ego as well as your pocket book. The same can be said of having your business go bankrupt. It’s easy getting into a victim mentality. You may blame your employer for being unfair. Or you may blame difficult circumstances for making your business a failure. In these situations it’s hard to accept responsibility for what happens in your life.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Losing your job may be the best thing that ever happened to you.

Dr. Frank’s Story

Several years ago I was fired by a major educational publishing company as director of one of its divisions. The first thing I did was phone Dr. Fred. With a large smile on my face I said, “Let’s celebrate, Fred. I just got fired.” Of course when I first heard the news I was upset. It’s only normal.

But then I realized:

• I didn’t like the managerial style - say one thing and do another, for example - of the people I was working with, especially the president and one of his vice presidents.
• I didn’t appreciate the working conditions, which I considered inflexible.
• I hated the long drive to and from work – a real nightmare!
• I thought I wasn’t paid enough for my services.
• I disliked the office and physical environment in which I was working.

In fact, there wasn’t much I liked about the job. It was a godsend losing that job. I felt like I was being set free from a huge anchor drowning me. At first it was frightening but soon became exhilarating. I was now responsible for creating my own life anew.

Steps in overcoming job loss

Here are some actions I took immediately in creating new work opportunities.

1. I shared my experience and feelings in Dr. Fred's Biz Builder business coaching support group. I listened to the thoughts, ideas, experiences, suggestions, and feelings of Dr. Fred and the other participants.
2. I looked at my job loss as a good thing. It was an experience that helped me learn and grow. It made me realize that I am responsible for own life.
3. I did Bolles' "Flower Exercise" to reassess my skills and explore what I really wanted to do.
4. I made finding new work my temporary job. I attended networking events. I contacted other educational publishers and e-learning companies. I communicated what I was looking for.
5. I found very useful advice online for writing resumes, writing covering letters, getting and doing interviews, and negotiating the right salary and compensation.
6. I rediscovered my love of teaching and applied to teach part-time at the college level.


   Use SBI! to take on a Blockbuster Project

In one of Dr. Fred's Biz Builder group sessions he recommended taking on a blockbuster project -- something so big that your whole life is energized by focusing on it. I teamed up with the coach himself, Dr. Fred, and we became business partners thus providing a viable answer to job loss.

Dr. Fred and I took the following steps in building our own website: coming up with the business idea, researching our options, devising the beginnings of a one-page business plan, producing a webinar, and using an invaluable tool for getting our website up and running, Site Build It!


Listen to this

lively conversation between Dr. Fred and myself about job loss.
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visit our midlife crisis coping podcast page.