Celebrating the Change

The Kick That's Needed To Make A Change

While getting laid off rarely feels like a good thing, for many it is the kick they need to get into gear and finally make a change that's long overdue.  My experience in counseling people in career transition is that a large percentage of those impacted by a corporate downsizing were unhappy with their job to begin with.  A good number of these folks stayed in those jobs for years and years and years.  For those of you who felt stuck in a job, it's time to celebrate the change and acknowledge that you would have continued to sit at your desk and be unhappy if someone hadn't dumped you out of that chair.

Why Does Someone Stay?

You can answer that. 
For the security,
the paycheck,
the benefits,
and all too often
because they simply aren't sure what else they'd do. 
They're just not sure where else to go.

A Scary World Ripe With Possibilities

It's scary to think about change, especially in today's market place.  Yet it's this change that brings about the possibility of new ventures and different pathways.  It's this change that offers the possibility of being happy in a job.  Some might continue in their field at another company or take those same skills into a different arena where they can marry their expertise and their passion, as in the non-profit world.  For others, it's time to research and launch that business they've always dreamed of whether it's opening a bakery or a launching a new line of clothing.  You might want to consider quality of life changes like targeting a job closer to home to cut down on commutation costs and maybe even be in the kitchen at a reasonable hour to eat dinner with the family. 

Be Open to Everything

I find people go all too willingly to the 'why it won't work' before exploring the possibilities.  Be open to everything.  Hear out every new idea and seriously consider every suggestion.  View this as an opportunity to make a change.

Wisdom from someone who sat in a job he was unhappy in for years and recently joined the ranks of the unemployed... I spent so much time looking out the window that I forgot there was a door. 

Whether you opened that door yourself or you were shown to it, make the most of this time to assess where you want to be and make it happen.