So You Lost Your Job. Now What?

               

   Losing your job can, and usually does have a profound impact on your self-confidence. You have just been told that you're essentially not good enough to work there, and they don't want you anymore. You thought you were good enough, and you thought you were doing everything right. This is not unlike a break up. Well guess what? This DOES NOT define you. In fact, this is the best opportunity to redefine yourself. Though at the moment it doesn't feel like it, losing your job can be the best thing that has ever happened to you, if you can move past feeling like your life is over. This, again, is not unlike a break up. When losing a job, often times we think we are worried about money. At first, that is the number one thing that goes through your mind. But then, it's your purpose, your contribution, the feeling of not having a use in society. Guess what? You have a purpose and that job wasn't it. 
  
   I lost my job. And I'm loving every minute of this vacation! I don't say that to sound entitled or like I'm not putting in an effort to find more work. I am, but I've had so much time to think and get myself together. I'm thinking career change, something intellectually stimulating, and it may or may not be temporarily working for another power-tripping employer who micromanages. I'm not sure yet. What I can say, is that I've had time to work on my holistic nutrition course, which will inevitably lead to me fulfilling my entrepreneurial dreams of running my own damn business. I've been able to work on the book I've been meaning to start, and I've been free to write this blog post (which I hope will help you see job loss in another light). Is job loss really a loss? Or is it the beginning of a beautiful journey that you didn't have time to even consider before? So now that you don't work for that employer anymore, what will you do with all the time in your day? Well, you're going to love the answer. As I mentioned in a few of my other blog posts, TRUST YOURSELF! The first thing your gut is going to tell you to do is to start rampantly applying to 12 jobs per day. Do not do this. I know you may be anxious about what may happen, but you can handle it. By rampantly applying for any job you see online, you will eventually end up in the same position and feeling underappreciated, and like nothing you do matters. Here are some things I suggest for making use of all the time you now have on your hands:

• Give yourself a bit of time (Even a week) before starting to look for work again
• Stick to a routine similar to one you followed when you were employed
• Do not oversleep (as tempting as that is). This is because it is so easy to slip into depression at the thought of losing your "purpose". So get the hell out of bed and be productive with your time!
• Eat meals at regular times (this may be even healthier than the eating schedule you were on when working your former job)
• Make a to-do list of productive things to do throughout the day that will move you closer to a goal and will make you feel accomplished. 
• Do your laundry.
• Meet up with old friends you haven't seen in awhile due to time restraints imposed by your old job
• Take time to relax, meditate, take time for yourself and take care of yourself
• Hit the gym (or an exercise regimen that works for you) as if you are on a regular work schedule (but more often). Focusing on physical health can be incredibly beneficial to your mental health and the feelings of loss you're experiencing.
• Look at taking a course or something that will improve your life or qualifications for another career
• Take the time you need to think about what's next in your life and what you want to accomplish in your life, instead of plunging yourself into another job that will end the same way this one did. 

   I cannot stress enough how important it is to stay on track with the other aspects of your life. Your job (though it may have felt like it) was not your life. It was a part of your life. Instead of thinking of it as a void you have to fill, think of it as an opening for something better and more positive. You may have loved your job, but they clearly didn't appreciate you or feel the same way. Not unlike an unhealthy one-sided relationship with a person.  

   The title of this post is "So You Lost Your Job. Now What?" The Now What part is completely up to you. It doesn't have to be the end. As for money? That will work itself out, and in so many ways if you let it. Now that you don't have that job to think about, maybe you will have an incredible idea that will lead to abundance, or you'll have a job offer that is everything you ever dreamed of. The employer that let you go was also the reason for resistance setting up shop in your mind. Set it free, and when you're ready and in a much better head space, start looking for a job that really appeals to you. Now is the time to go for what you have always wanted in your life. Now is the best time to create your reality the way you've always wanted to experience it. Losing a job? Nah. Gaining a present and future that fulfils you is more like it. 

You're capable of way more than you think you are. You have everything you need, so go for it!!

xoxo
Annie-M

Here's a great tune for those who need a little extra oomph:

Fight Song - Rachel Platten