So have I. And it turns out that you’ve got company. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2014 an average of 55,939 people were laid off or fired EACH DAY (including weekends and holidays) in 2014. That’s 20 million in the whole year!
An average of 57,887 people have been laid off or fired each day (including weekends and holidays) in 2015 through May.
Perhaps you’re consoled by these numbers, knowing you are not alone. But let’s face it- we are human beings who want to be humans do-ing good work, and we don’t want to be fired or laid off.
When you’re fired, your choices can feel daunting and your mood may be sour.
The last time I got fired (yes, it’s happened twice!), I poured myself a nice glass of scotch at about 3 in the afternoon. And then went out for a good meal with a friend. I cried a lot and dissed my former boss. Then I went to live on an ashram where I could chop carrots, clean bathrooms, and do yoga all at the cost of $500 for the summer. I didn’t think about going back to work for a few months.
What do you think of my “plan”? Okay, it’s true that I didn’t have a mortgage or children, so I could afford to live on the cheap.
What’s smart about my plan is that I took care of myself and I gave myself a break, particularly a break from lots of conversations about what happened in the last job and what I want to do now. I got breathing room.
I also got reminded that life is bigger than work.
When I got back to a job search, I asked myself if I really was a good fit for that last job. The truthful answer was no. I was kind of relieved that I didn’t have to make that choice all on my own. Being fired decided it for me.
If you’ve been fired, here’s what I suggest:
Talk to friends, vent if you need to, get support and get a reality check. You’ll likely find one among you who has also been fired.
Do one new “affirming” thing in your daily routine: a regular time to write when you riff on what you enjoy, a walk outside where you stand quietly look at the sky, smell the air and feel your feet on the ground, meditation, yoga, drawing… basically anything that gets you breathing and imagining and looking around. External focus. Of life affirming life.
Look at that last job. Was it a good fit? Where didn’t it work? What would have made it work for you?
Look at your resume. What have you enjoyed doing? Where were you a good fit? What would you do if you didn’t need to earn a living? Who have you worked with that you liked?
Get in touch with people who were good co-workers and bosses. Ask them what they thought you did well and what it was like to work with you.
Your new job is about developing perspective and questioning assumptions. You want to look at what you’ve been doing with fresh eyes and healthy cynicism. It’s important you really feel positive about your next job, cause you could well go in with some baggage given that you left the last one on a down note.
Once you feel clear about what you WANT to be doing and WHERE you’d be a good fit, reach out to some other fired people so you have a support group that can help keep you honest to your new goals. And keep returning to your good old co-workers for reminders about what a gem you were in the workplace.