Allow Yourself To Get Fired and See What Happens

After getting fired, I learned an important lesson about self-reliance and finding my purpose.

When I got fired, I ran straight into a wall of rejection. I got rejected from dozens of jobs, one after another.

I had fallen into the trap of applying endlessly on Indeed.

Every email telling me I didn’t get the job cut me to the bone. That was when I actually got a reply, let alone an interview.

Finally, a health recruiter found me a travel contract.

I’d have to get my PT license transferred, and move ASAP.

At least it was a job. Work is work, right?

So, I got back on my horse, and took another job.

I moved 3,000 miles away to pursue a short-term contract.

This wasn’t the end of my problems, though.

I got fired two more times, in two months.

And I limped home with my tail between my legs.

I was feeling really down, like I would never work a real job again.

If you’ve never been fired, you aren’t familiar with the emotional rollercoaster and sheer grief.

After the third time in a row, I was questioning my identity.

New acquaintances would ask me, “What do you do?”

I no longer knew what to say.

Getting fired, repeatedly, made me feel like my back was against the wall.

So I blew right through the wall and took my life in a different direction.

Guess what? I took part-time work and started writing online.

I acted as an extra in a movie, made my first $100 writing online, did freelance work, and made it work through a combination of the generosity of others, personal savings, and grit.

I’ve never lacked in effort or capability, so I went back to work, on my own terms.

I drew on my experience of building a successful Airbnb business and went about trying new entrepreneurial pursuits.

Through this I realized that it is possible for opportunities to come to you, without needing to go to the opportunities.

I learned the actual importance of networking: having others refer work to me because I have useful skills.

I realized that being able to type 100 words per minute means you can write a lot of words in a day.

I came to understand that I have an amazing gift communicating clearly in written language, and that writing is a useful life skill.

I’ve become more motivated and accountable to use my natural abilities.

And I finally started taking good care of my health: diet & exercise.

In the end, I learned that getting fired can be something to celebrate, instead of something to mourn.

Getting fired leads to new opportunities, passions, ups, and downs.

In the last year, I got remote developer work and technical writing contracts because of my Medium blog.

I was even referred a new collegiate team for massage therapy, back when I used to be a massage therapist.

It took a while, but I was finally able to let go of the shame, guilt, and grief of losing my job.

Getting fired for doing my best didn’t mean my best wasn’t good enough.

It just meant that I needed to be true to myself: my sleep schedule, my choice of work, and my pursuit of my real interests.

And through it, I’ve become more resilient and happy.

I realized those jobs didn’t even mean that much to me, beyond the money.

I’ve learned to live my life for who I am, and what I want to achieve.

Now, no one can fire me, and others seek out my expertise. I love it!

I’m so glad that I’ve taken control of the direction of my life.

And, if you’ve been fired, I hope that you too can be grateful for it in time.

Dr. Derek Austin is the author of Career Programming: How You Can Become a Successful 6-Figure Programmer in 6 Months, now available on Amazon.