I want to share what I learned from getting laid off from my corporate social media position. It was coming – our team had been downsized continually for the past year. I’m still a little burnt out from the high emotions after this year’s presidential election – you can really only do so much disappointment in one week.
My natural response is to immediately go figure out how to fix it, but weirdly I don’t feel sad. I’m shocked, I’ll need to figure out how to pay my bills, but I also feel grateful that I don’t have to make any decisions right this second.
Getting this news and the way the people who care about me responded was an incredibly unexpected gift of being reminded what matters most.
So – here’s what I learned from getting laid off:
The way my friends responded is at the heart of what I learned from getting laid off: that the right people always show up. Their friendship also made me realize a larger truth about my past partnerships.
I never understood why people would always say in their wedding vows that their partner is their best friend. My best friend and my partners have always been so far removed from one another and completely interchangeable. I’ve also never been with someone who consistently and loudly supported me, or showed up for me without fail – but I sure as hell have friends that embody everything I’ve ever looked for in a man. Now that I’m single again, I feel so lucky to have had this realization before I get back out there and start dating – I’m looking for the qualities of my best friend in my next long-term partner.
I’m so grateful for all the friends that I have, the lessons that they continue to teach me, and the ways that these relationships continue to improve my life. I’m glad that my friends and family are able to be here for me when I need them.
I lost my job today but I also gained something priceless: the lessons of what I learned from getting laid off.
