No one wants to hear that they received a pink slip or be fired from a job because a company
decided to downsize. No one wants to receive a termination notice due to a poor performance
review. When we lose a job after doing excellent work and making a contribution to a business
or community, with no previous indication of an impending loss, we then ask, “what just
happened?” How did we get here? Why is this happening to me?
With the increasing shifts to use more artificial intelligence, robotics, and the vast spectrum of
technology that has spread globally, more unskilled jobs are going the way of the dinosaur.
Historically, we expect adults to work and have a career. They select an occupation for a
significant period, where they find opportunities for progress. Today, few people work one job
for a lifetime. We work to achieve financial security, make connections, attain personal growth,
work for higher goals, and contribute to society. Some people are employers; some are
employees. Employers can be large corporations, or single owners, or entrepreneurs.
With job loss, we have opportunities to go in a new direction. When we think of jobs, many of us
have thought about careers and related financial stability. Many of us did not start our adult lives
thinking about the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, which requires financial security.
With the impact of Covid, the numbers of deaths of people and companies, it can make one
numb and be ready to give up. These horrific losses, particularly within businesses require us to
think differently about work, career, and acquiring financial security.
To begin, it is important to see the losses and not take dismissals and firings personally, even
though a job loss affects one’s well-being. One can use multiple tools to start the journey of
discovery and creating new sources of income. First, we need to figure out our MVPS: most
valuable priorities (Darren Hardy), which includes what is important to us, and where our
strengths of creativity lie. Upon this discovery, we can create our dream job description. At this
point, we can search websites for companies and for headhunters who recruit to see if there is a job that works for us. Job loss is also an opportunity to explore the possibilities of becoming a
boss, to become an entrepreneur. What do you need? How would you like to spend your days
acquiring financial security? What tasks bring your joy? How can you monetize these tasks?