The BIGG Successs Show
I Just Lost My Job Because of Organizational Downsizing! Now What?
What to expect when you unexpectedly lose your job. Read the show summary at biggsuccess.com.
Welcome to The Big Success Show! Today, we'll talk about what to expect if you unexpectedly lose your job. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. One of the most stressful events that any of us can endure is the loss of a job. It can create a crisis of confidence since we often link our self-worth to our professional life. And we received an email from Christina, who lost her job in a corporate downsizing. And she was one of a number of people let go. And she's feeling a mix of emotions right now, as you can imagine. It's especially hard because she gave 100% to her employer. She's identified by her job in the community. And she's having a very hard time right now and wondered if we might be able to help her get through this. Well, Christina, we're so sorry to hear about your situation. We certainly understand it's tough to go through. And it's natural to feel a roller coaster of emotions immediately after a dismissal. And when I've gone through something like this, and I was in radio for 18 years. So that's an industry known for this type of situation. Sometimes I just needed to mentally escape for a short time. And so I would turn to music when I was angry, ramble on from Led Zeppelin, when I was feeling lost, free-falling from Tom Petty. Cool change by the little river band helped me think of new possibilities. And then when I needed a good cry, and oftentimes you do, you've just got to get it out. Don't give up from Peter Gabriel. And Marilyn, you're talking about mentally escaping. You know, when I need to mentally escape for a while, I just let my mind go blank. And I find it doesn't take very long. Okay, see, there's another thing, Christina, laughter. Get around funny people, crack silly jokes. Well, it just seems like, Marilyn, a lot of times we get identified with our job. In fact, it seems like whenever you meet someone, about the second question they ask is, well, what do you do for a living? What do you do, right? And it's tough right now because your answer has to be, I'm currently unemployed or I was just let go. And that messes with your psyche a little bit because it's not your fault that you're in this situation, and you feel the sense of loss of who you are. Well, Marilyn, you're making a really good point because Christina understands that you will go through a grieving process. Now, that sounds really strange, but it's not. You really are going to grieve the death of your job. In her book on death and dying, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross identified the five stages of grief as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. We're sure you can relate to some of these or all of them, Christina. It's only natural, so allow yourself to be human. Now, give yourself permission to ride this emotional roller coaster. You may go through these stages sequentially, but more likely you're going to jump around from stage to stage. But just let yourself go through it. Grieving is a process. You won't be over this loss overnight, so don't set unrealistic expectations for yourself. And talk to people who care about you. Seek professional help if it will help. And coming up, Christina Brighter Days are ahead. We're going to tell you what's on the horizon. Today, we're answering a question from Christina, who emailed us because she lost her job. And we've talked about how you're going through a grieving process when you lose your job. But here's the good news, Christina. You can and will replace your job. Yeah, it may not be easy. It may not come quickly, but you can do it. So when you're ready, start planning to move on. Picture yourself in a new job. Maybe you envision a career change or a business of your own. Develop a plan to get what you want. And perhaps that plan will call for more education. Or maybe you need to get some specific experience first. Your plan can factor in all of these things. At Christina, you may still be grieving, but you're likely to reach the acceptance stage faster if you focus on your future instead of the past. And then do something about it. Try to do something every day that moves you towards your new life. And sometimes what seems like a bad thing is a good thing turned upside down. You know, I can't tell you how many people I've talked to that found their passion when they were forced to do so. And Christina, maybe you'll be that next one. Our thoughts are with you. Email us anytime to let us know how you're doing. We're here for you. And if you have a suggestion to help Christina share it with us by leaving a comment on our blog today at BigSuccess.com. That's also where we have a written summary of today's show and the link to the book by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. And let's get our big quote for the day, George. Our big quote today comes from Kenji Miyazawa, who said, "We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey." And next time, we're going to talk about 100 tips to succeed big. Wow! You think we can do that in five minutes, Mary Lynn? Well, we're going to give it a big shot. Absolutely right. Until then, here's to your big success. The Big Success Show at B.I.G.G.S. success.com [MUSIC PLAYING] [BLANK_AUDIO]