Why Getting Fired Didn't Make Me Cry

Okay, so I lied. I did cry a bit, but by the time the elevator reached the bottom floor, my eyes were dry. I went straight to yoga class, and while I was hanging out in downward-facing dog, a peculiar feeling kept trying to bubble up from deep inside me. By the time I left, I felt positively giddy! What was going on? Thinking about it, I realized that the reason I was so happy because there was NO reason to be upset that I got fired. There's no reason for anyone to be upset that they got fired. Want to know why?

Because if you got fired, you wanted to be fired.
You got fired for a reason, whether you think it's fair or not. You may have been lacking in performance, you may not have been able to keep up, you may not have "been with the program." This applies to you even if you were a casualty of mass layoffs in this godforsaken economy. If you weren't in a position where you were indispensable to your company (and so were able to avoid such a layoff), then be honest with yourself - you really didn't want to be there. Because everybody is capable of excelling, your lack of excellence meant that you didn't WANT to do your best. So why weren't you doing your best?

Because you already know what else you'd rather be doing.
If you're in a position where someone can turn your life upside down by saying the words, "You're fired," then you're not where you want to be in your life. Nobody wants to be a company peon, and deep down, you knew that you didn't have to be. In your head, you were daydreaming about where you want to be in life, about a higher purpose that you'd rather be serving. And this very daydreaming is what caused you to lose your job. So why were you wasting time daydreaming instead of doing what you really want to do?

Because you needed an excuse to go out and do it.
The only reason you didn't quit yourself is because you're afraid of change and confrontation. Now you don't even have to deal with the mess of quitting, they did it for you! And yes, the money thing is scary, but deep down, you already know that there are ways of earning an income that are truer to who you are. You now have a whole lot of time on your hands to commit to your purpose, and you have an awesome incentive to do so: you're about to go broke!

If you're reading this, it's likely that you have been fired recently or are afraid of being fired. I bet the wheels are turning in your head as to what you're going to do now. My answer to that question is: do anything. Go back to school. Go backpacking in Europe. Start a business. Find a way to get someone to pay you for doing what you love. I'm not you, so I can't tell you what solution specifically applies to your situation. But I do know this, my friend - you've just been kicked out of the rat race. Don't stand there, shivering in fear like a freed animal that wants back in its cage. You already know which daydreams got you fired, and those are the same dreams that will save you. So act on them.

I'm going to do just that. Stay tuned.