It has been approximately a year since I found out that one of my teams and my position was going to be eliminated. Here today but gone tomorrow. I have spent the last year stewing in my feelings about getting laid off. And I am scared if I do not start making lemonade out of these lemons I was handed that I am going to go a direction I never thought I would ever -ever- ever go! It is hard to be introspective and it has taken me a year to be ready. So if you are in the same position give yourself all the space and grace but also do not let it go too far. This list is all the positive things that have happened since leaving a position I worked really hard to get!
- This is 100% the #1 for me. I rejuvenated my network. Having two babies during a global pandemic led me to let my network go dormant. Not dead, but definitely neglectied. I am a people person so this was hard for me. Losing a job forced me to dive head first back into my network and let’s just say I am super lucky to have the network I have!
- My husband was relieved. His reaction to the news is something I will never forget. It was 100% him and 100% the reaction I needed. To hear him say – “oh thank God, you are miserable.” will forever live in my memory and will forever be why I am sure I picked the right partner.
- I got to spend more time with my kids. I am the first to admit I am not a Stay at Home Mom – they literally have the hardest jobs in the world. But it was so nice to pretend to be one for a bit. It also just confirmed that I am in fact not happy as a SAHM. I will alway cherish the fact that I got to spend more time with my kids while they are little!
- I had time to do all the “things”! You know you have that list too…the one that holds all the things you want to get done around the house or books you want to read or habit you want to start. While I wouldn’t say I nailed it – I got a lot of this list completed and that feels good.
- I got to spend more time outside. Whether walking or sitting outside with my computer writing for some reason getting out of my office was such a good thing for my mental health.
- Speaking of mental health – this hard stop – made me check in on my mental health. And I am still working on it – hence this post! There is no magic advice coming. It is hard work.
- New situations – new relationships. Never ever thought that I would enjoy meeting and connecting with people as much as I have during the intereview process. I may have met a few people that I will force to stick with me for the long haul.
- Dating opportunities – let me explain since I am clearly married! I took a contract role that felt like I was dating the company vs marrying it. WOW! What a revelution. Turns out the contract position I took wasn’t a good fit. And there is nothing more empowering than making that decsion.
- All the ideas – if you could get a peak into my head I promise you it would scare you. It scares me. I have all of these ideas that swirl around. Two of which I was able to make some progress on because of this break in full time employment. I will always love building something and a result of this shift in my life has allowed me to become very clear on I will always have something running on the side – from now on. It somehow feeds so many aspects of my life and I will not let that go again.
- Mirror Mirror on the Wall – this giant, unexpected, earth rattling shift – made me take a look in the mirror and decide who I am as a partner, mother and worker. Now I am still looking – but doing the hard work to come out on the other side stronger and more focused. While what happened to me was not personal (or ever performance based) it became personal because that is who I am or maybe was. I am doing the work to detach my identy “at work” with my identiy of who I am all the time. I do believe I can be my authentic self in all aspects of life it is just going to take me committing to doing the hard work and reflecting like I am doing here.
