How to Bounce Back After Getting Fired
It’s tough getting fired.
You feel blindsided.
You gave so many years to the company and they just let you go?
What gives?
Welcome to the real world, my friend.
In the real world, whenever someone thinks of the phrase ‘getting fired,’ they view it as something negative.
But it doesn’t always have to be like that.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Getting fired will teach you tons about human nature.
These insights into human nature will allow you to better navigate through life.
Getting Fired Young
There were 2 times in my life when I was fired.
This was when I was a teenager working in Dunkin Donuts and Subway.
Everything was going well.
I was working hard and showing up on time.
It felt great getting some additional income on the side.
However, for both jobs, I was blindsided.
The managers weren’t the biggest fans of my school life.
They thought I should either work or go to school, but not both.
In a very sneaky way, they stopped putting me on the schedule.
I stopped getting invites to go back.
When I asked them what was good, they said:
‘Sorry Armani, I have a business to run. I need someone who can work more hours. Good luck with your classes.’
This was their indirect way of saying:
‘You’re fired!’
In the real world, people don’t always say you’re fired in a direct way.
Instead, they sugarcoat it.
Direct or indirect, the pain is still there.
There is betrayal.
‘Wait a minute, I did everything I was supposed to do. You’re letting me go?? That’s not fair!!’
Welcome to the real world bud.
Life is not fair.
How It Feels to Get Fired
I was really sad after being let go.
But the sadness didn’t last long.
Soon, the dark feeling was replaced by light.
The light came in the insight of:
‘Job security is a myth.’
I’m grateful that I learned that lesson young.
There are many 60-year-olds who have no grasp of this principle.
They say stuff like:
‘I’ve been in the company for 35 years. Trust me, I’m good!’
But when they get the pink slip, they are blindsided.
They begin their stages of grief.
No matter how you twist it, getting fired sucks.
Even if you were actively trying to get fired because you hate confrontation.
When you are let go, the body feels a sense of rejection.
Embrace that feeling.
Learn from that feeling.
Because getting fired gives you a crash course in human nature.
How to Get Over Being Fired
The more volume one has, the less rejection one feels.
I recommend giving yourself some time to feel sad but don’t give yourself too much time.
It’s smart to give yourself a set number of days to be sad:
‘For 8 days, I will wallow in misery.’
Without identifying the clear days, misery can go from a temporary state into a character trait.
Where a person is bitter for life.
I’ve seen people who got fired and never got out of the shock.
Give yourself a finite time to be sad.
After the days are up, get to work.
It’s hard to feel rejected when volume is on your side.
- Begin applying for new jobs.
- Spin a lot of plates.
- Slowly book your calendars with job interviews.
- DM people on LinkedIn letting them know that you’re available in the marketplace.
- Hit up friends and ask if they know anyone who is hiring.
Getting activity on your side is a form of processing the trauma of getting fired.
But activity does what thinking alone can’t.
It allows you to heal.
Just thinking about how you’re a failure is not introspecting, that’s dwelling.
Introspecting is when you look back at your past to extract wisdom.
Dwelling is when you simply regret the past.
When you’re working, you feel good about being productive.
This allows you to look back at your past through an objective lens.
Get activity on your side as soon as possible!
Sealing A Win
Eventually, you will get a new job.
For many people, after they got fired, they started a business.
The guy from Shark Tank was like that.
Kevin O’Leary.
When he was a youngster, he got a job where his boss told him to scrape gum off a table.
He thought that request was beneath him, so he refused.
His boss said that he must do whatever she tells him.
Kevin once again refused.
She fired him on the spot.
After that, Kevin never got another job again.
He pursued business.
At the time of writing this article, he’s worth a cool 250+ million dollars.
He says getting fired was one of the best things that ever happened to him.
It may take time to seal a win after being let go by your former company…
But a win is coming.
You just need to keep delivering daily action items that improve the likelihood of getting another job or starting a business.
In due time, you’ll be good.
Learning From Getting Fired
Look around…
See a lot of those people you admire?
A lot of them were born from pain.
Pain comes in all shapes and sizes.
One of those sizes is being let go by a company.
A company that you spent years being loyal to.
Job security is a myth.
It doesn’t exist!!
But me simply saying that on a blog won’t feel real to you.
Especially when your company is giving you company backpacks and jackets.
Don’t let them fool you though.
They can let you go in the blink of an eye.
They are always looking for people who can do your job at half the price.
Be prepared.
Look around the corner.
It’s not always your fault for being blindsided.
But how you move next will say a lot about your character.
For more tips on emotional intelligence, be sure to check out Armani Archives: EQ Edition:
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