I know it hurts to be fired, and if this is the first time it has happened to you in your career, then I would say you’re doing pretty good.  A recent study done found that 47% of Americans will be fired at least once in their lifetime and 32% will be fired two or three times.  That’s not a bad thing.  There are brilliant, capable people every day who get let go, for reasons that they may never know about.  Embarrassment and shame are par for the course.  It wasn’t that you were a bad worker or that you stole something, most of the time it was just because you upset the wrong person who now had it in for you and wanted you out.  It seems like a catastrophic event at the time, but you will survive and then be free to find a better position.

It won’t ruin your life – well, not unless you let it.

When you get fired or if you’re brave enough to quit, now you suddenly have the time to plan your life and your new career path.  The crazy life excuses are out of the way, and you are free to begin anew.  Please remember, you can’t be all things to all people.  Not every manager or every company deserves you.  Have the strength of mind to leave your past in the past and move on to something better.  Use this experience as a wakeup call so you can find your true calling and forge your own path.  Most likely after time, you will say what all the others who have been fired now claim:  “it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”  Turn your hurt and shame into motivation and power – you will make it to the next job, doing far better than the last.

Christine’s Tip:

I personally think everyone should be fired in their career at least once.  Being fired allows you to build up your inner strength and it motivates you to pivot your career in a different direction, perhaps one that you are more suited for and will be happier in.  This is the time when you can ask yourself:  What do I want out of my life?  What do I want out of my career?  Could I go back to school and retrain for something I really want to do?  Or could I now start that business I’ve always wanted to do, but never thought possible? 

Being locked up in a demanding job stunts your creative mind.  It provides you with all the excuses to not look for alternatives, because your too stressed and too busy trying to tread water in a hectic career.   Some people I have seen in my life who have never been fired, have not been better off than those that were fired.  Yes, if you are more timid, compliant and mousier at your job, you can avoid conflicts and indeed lower the possibility of losing your job.  But I would ask you, at what cost?  Many people in their late 50’s who have been compliant all their life are now experiencing true mental illness and depression due to the constant denial of their true feelings, their beliefs and the constant contortioning of their life to fit in.