From Rock Bottom to Rebirth: How Losing My Job Became a Catalyst for Unprecedented Growth

One of the worst things that ever happened to me turned out to be a great blessing and necessary for my growth. I unexpectedly lost my job in what I thought was my “prime” and it shattered my world.

People who had called me family, attended my kid’s birthday parties and had worshipped me now treated me like a leper and would not take my call.

My life went from delivering sales speeches every morning to standing ovations to silence. A phone that rang off the hook all day long to silence.

And while I thought I could quickly parlay my experience and results into something comparable, it took a year and 1,600 job applications to get a job making half what I made before – something that only happened because I wrote a book in my time off and it made my resume stand out.

It took me 3 jobs and 3 ½ years to make close to what I had made previously.

It took me 8 years to forget it.

But the important lessons I learned were priceless.

I had no network. This forced me to learn how to connect and create valuable relationships and get to know the people who would care about my unique skills. I’ve now had years where I got 4 job offers in a year and have been very aggressively recruited.

You may make friends at work, but you should invest in relationships outside of work and be very selective in whom you trust. There are a lot of people who act like they care about you because they want something from you. When they don’t, you are invisible. I’ve experienced this with longtime “friends” too.

Keep investing in yourself. I turned my year off into finishing and publishing a book, and it transformed my whole world.

And, lastly, now that I have far surpassed what I thought I was capable of, you can always keep learning, keep growing, and keep contributing.

Your prime is now.

#GrowthMindset #OvercomingObstacles #NetworkingSuccess #TrustWisely #NeverStopLearning #CareerGrowth #PersonalDevelopment #KeepMovingForward #Inspiration