"The Balanced one, by ensuring they are always an exemplary performer at work, is NEVER made redundant; for such an experience would be catastrophic."First things first- an open apology to anyone who might have the slightest interest in reviewing the date of my previous post and this one- it is inexcusable the length of time this has taken.
It would be easy for me to make a sweeping gesture in stating that being fired, made redundant, or 'agreeing to depart' a business is the new 'kick' we have decided that life gives us when we need to change our environment. Indeed, it would be crass and unoriginal of me to continue to say that were anyone to have recently had this experience, their first step should not be to immediately look for another job, but to take at least 2 weeks out to consider if what just happened- really did- happen for a reason; to find their true calling in life. Lastly, the final nail in the proverbial casket of your previous employment would probably look like the following piece of advice,
"You can wallow, or see your job loss as an opportunity for self-discovery" (Ariane de Bonvoisin: http://www.rd.com/advice/work-career/10-things-people-wont-tell-you-when-you-lose-your-job/)
However, I'm going to do exactly that. And, I'm going to do so whilst attempting to obfuscate my own personal reasons for writing this- essentially by bolstering my health with an abundance of carrot sticks and a plentiful volume of peppermint tea; by which I of course mean a partially decapitated Lindt Bunny and more wine than Jesus showing off at the Evian factory.
I have had the pleasure of working with a number of truly inspirational individuals over the course of my career, and though there is a lot of substance in wanting to say that each of them shared a similar trait of having been completely and utterly, life-shatteringly fired- they did not. I did however note that there was a rather interesting trend in each of these individuals, and not only would this benefit me by surreptitiously finding its way into a blog which I would eventually scribe for an unknown audience; but it would actually help me, personally, deal with the situation in which i would one day find myself.
My colleagues who had experienced a 'forced' shift in a career situation, had actually ended up in a stronger mental position within their next role- the reason for which (and this is purely my own experience) was that they had literally had to re-validate each career choice up until that day, and then either choose to continue in this line of work, or to pursue another.
I appreciate that this seems a little bizarre, if one was to examine the effects of asking someone if they would like a cup of tea, waiting until they said yes, then repeatedly asking if they were sure throughout the process- they would ultimately end up mildly annoyed... but considering the annoyance, they would be jolly well sure they wanted that tea. A tepid link I know, but I truly believe it's tangibly there- after all, how many times have you considered trying another job, or even a week or two to travel and get a better perspective on life, but were 'trapped' in the job you have- the certainty and security acting as a wonderfully comfortable barrier to progressing that thought into any action?
So if you are able to get your head around the above, then next step will be to ensure that you're keeping positive- which is simple (note that I didn't say easy)... Each day, you MUST treat yourself to something, it doesn't need to cost anything, but you need to feel a genuine happiness pervade your entire life, if that be with your partner, children, or anyone close to you- because they will be feeling your pain. Walk new routes around the area you live, go for free classes on subjects in which you're interested, unleash the creative side of you which might not have had the chance to express itself previously- it's all good!
So in a very short, very amateur moment of thought, I would like to think that before you even attempt the first step of any 'new job' searching, all you should˙do in such a situation is really just enjoy the fact that, like finding a restaurant that immediately serves your favourite starter, main and dessert without asking, you have had a decision made for you- because regardless of what happens next, you have just experienced 'life' giving you a jolt of change. Whether you choose to take life up on the offer of change, or you continue with your career as it was before, just with a new company, then just appreciate the fact that you had the chance to choose.
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