I learned this the hard way recently as I like to think I was a product of the much discussed economic downturn. I lost my job recently, over 10 years with the corporation to be called into the office one day and told they were letting me go because I wasn’t performing. It has got to be hard to be fired, but a friend of mine recently was fired but she knew it was coming, hard but not that hard. Getting laid off has got to be awful as well, you are doing fine and just out of the job because your company is having problems. Both would be bad but to be told with no warning that you aren’t good at your job makes you take a hard look at things. I was lucky enough to be given 6 weeks to find a new job, something many people don’t do, I guess 10 years got me something. But given how bad the economy is and having just built a new house, to say we were a little scared was an understatement.
But, I was smart enough to have an emergency fund saved (If you don’t put some of your money aside every pay period I highly encourage you to start. Saving is something you should make a necessity above anything else. It took me longer than it should of to figure that out.) that I felt could buy me a little extra time, and I kept telling myself that it was a blessing in disguise, because I wasn’t really happy for the last couple of years at work.
How it worked out so well in the end still amazes me, I was able to find a new job, that 2 months in seems to be a great move for me. Plus leaving my old job forced us to find new daycare for our children since the old one was tied to the company. They are doing remarkably well and adjusting to the changes. In the end, I believe it was better for me and my family that this happened. Could have done without the stress, but the stress can force you to make harder decisions and take more risks than you normally would. I’m even thankful that I was blindsided about my not having the skills to do the job I was in. If they had given me warning, would I have tried harder and improved? Made it better where I hung on another 6 months? I’m glad I didn’t, because my new job is better suited for me, and life is better for our family. I tolerated my job and we tolerated our old daycare, but we weren’t happy. I encourage you to find the things in your life that you tolerate and work to make them better. That little voice inside your head that tells you things just aren’t quite right is so often correct, yet we mostly ignore it. I hope you and I both can see the things that should be changed and do something about it before it forces your hand. But if you don’t and you do have to take a step backwards, stay positive about it because I truly believe it is meant to teach you something, if you learn from it you will be better off in the end for going through it.
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