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Life’s moving along at a clip. You’re executing on your vision. There’s nothing in the air to suggest that change is coming. But as the saying goes, The only constant in life is change. One day you receive notice, maybe it’s a sit down with your boss, maybe it’s a phone call from HR, maybe it’s just a mass email that pops up in your inbox: You’re being laid off.
Eyeballs bulge. Jaw hits the ground. Stomach turns inside out. Can this actually be happening? The short answer is, yes. It can. In fact, in the last several months there has been a rash of downsizing across both the tech and financial industries. Just since January more than 130,000 people have been laid off from companies like Google, Amazon, and Goldman Sachs. If this were to happen to you, the real question, the only question becomes, how are you going to manage yourself?
First of all, you’ve got to let yourself feel all the feels. Losing a job can be a traumatic event. Trying to be stoic about it, stuffing the feelings down and ignoring them, will only create its own set of challenges later on. So go ahead and be sad, be angry, be afraid. Give yourself a specific amount of time to be a blubbering mess, but don’t wallow in it forever. While you're feeling that pain, there is an opportunity to wire it in such a way that it moves you toward vision. Yes, it is possible to leverage fear to move you toward vision...but only for a time, you certainly don’t want to drive there long-term. For example, you get back some bad bloodwork and the fear of dying can drive you to better eating habits. Pretty soon, the act of eating healthy supports you to feel so much better that you no longer need to leverage fear and can instead drive with inspiration and freedom towards your vision for health and vitality.
Or in this case, you get laid off and you’re in a panic about that vacation house you just booked this summer, and the fence contractor who is starting this Thursday…and holy shit, the kids’ college tuition! Leverage this intense event to tie fear to the idea of failing the kids. I’ll tell you, I’m not a parent, but I’ve trained thousands of them, and that’s a pretty powerful lever. That lever will get you off your ass and into action! Before you know it, you’ve leveraged fear strategically and are now able to access strength and passion to move you towards vision.
Once you’ve let the fear-based emotions have their day in court, it’s time to get on to the business of getting on. Zero in on what you want to create in your next position – the skills and talents you want to leverage, the environment, the people, the culture, the compensation. Maybe you’ll find you’re ready to go in an entirely different direction. You got your degree in International Marketing, but remember that Minor in Ancient Tibetan Folklore? You always loved the vibe of campus life and you enjoy being in the company of intellectuals. Maybe a career in academia is your next gig.
Whatever the case may be, as you're evolving your new vision of career, name the emotional states that will most support you in your search. Inspiration and joy? Passion and courage? It’s a choose your own adventure and you’re the one that gets to choose. When you’ve decided on your vision, name a couple meaningful benchmarks, and the emotional states you want to be operating inside of, name and calendar your specific actions: I'll connect with 5 people in my network on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 11 am and 1pm; On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30-4:30, I'll research companies and available positions that align with my vision. Be as detailed and specific as possible.
Throughout the whole process, be sure to double down on your inner training. Light up that driving state before you take your calendared actions. And while you have the time, dial in your morning and evening routine, and pay close attention to tending the body. Why not use this time to uplevel health and vibrancy so you go into your next gig optimally.
Although it may feel like it, losing your job doesn’t mean your world is coming to an end. In fact, it can be an opportunity to build something bigger and better than you thought possible. Remember the saying, When one door closes another one opens. If you’re having trouble finding that new door, join us for a Power Series weekend and get yourself tuned up! We provide the tools, strategies and techniques for training the nervous system and honing your skills for mental and emotional management.
Click HERE to learn more about the Power Series and sign up today!
