The King of Getting Fired

What I Learned from Getting Fired 4 Times

Yep — that’s me.

Getting fired may seem appalling to most people. But to me, it was never the case.

I am sensitive to the way I feel — which means I am picky. If a task or activity doesn’t resonate with me, I find it challenging to perform at my best. Regardless of my efforts to make things work, it just doesn’t make much difference. I can’t feign a positive energy when things aren’t working out.

Somehow, I frequently found myself adopting a confrontational attitude towards my employers when their demands became excessive. I became meticulous in calculating the extra time required to finish the job. Ultimately, it appeared as though I was inadvertently steering them toward the decision to terminate my employment. I just couldn’t help the mean spirit.

I once believed that my upbringing was the root cause of this behaviour. Perhaps I wasn’t accustomed to hard work. But then again, I did hard work when it came to academic qualifications. I endured through the subjects I disliked with a passing C on my worst subject.

Here’s the thing: doing tasks not aligned with our purpose can be draining. In my case, it brought out the worst in me, and the situation only deteriorated over time.

I’ve been getting fired or gently laid off at least four times. I am 25 now. I started working after graduating 5 years ago. The first time it happened, of course, I did feel lost. Even though I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Truth is, had I forced or begged, I still wouldn’t have been happy.

The second time was a failed project management on my internship. The manager quit, and I had to get by until they promoted me to Lead artist for the project. Unfortunately, due to ongoing management issues and some team members leaving, I eventually found myself in a position where getting laid off was inevitable.

The third instance occurred during my summer employment in Greece as a waiter. Overall, the experience wasn’t terrible, but the treatment and compensation of workers left much to be desired. I got scheduled a day off but the manager called in and asked me to work. I declined, and he threatened to fire me. I didn’t care because it was my day off. Unfazed, I stood my ground as it was my scheduled day off. Having endured such incidents and frequently subjected to derogatory remarks, I reached a breaking point. I refused to tolerate such treatment, believing I deserved better. You can guess I got fired.

The fourth most recent incident was my role as an English teacher, where I was outsourced to a public school. Although, I was fond of the students, managing their behaviour was tough. They were very wild. It became evident that handling a large number of students altogether wasn’t my forte. Despite frequently losing control of the class, the students held a positive opinion of me. I persisted in the job due to the attractive salary, even though it took a toll on me. I was just counting my time there. So I didn’t want to quit. I just held on to that job, even though it drained me at some point. Before Christmas, I got laid off. I didn’t even reach the three-month mark.

Now, it’s time to answer the questions. I would like to share the lessons I learned from getting fired 4 times.

The Universe Re-purposing You

“If it’s not this, it’s something better.” -Leoor Alexandra

This quote from Leeor guided me during the initial phase of my spiritual journey. Learning to cultivate positive thinking was a necessary step, and although it has become a habit for me now, it wasn’t always the case. In my childhood, I tended to complain and focus on the aspects of life that were not going well. I used to radiate negativity, which, in turn, pushed people away. Whether consciously or subconsciously, people tend to avoid negativity.

My first thought when I got laid off for the first time was,” What did I do wrong?” It is normal to think this way. It’s nothing personal, really. Sometimes, they prioritise business over relationships. They want the person that benefits them the most and you weren’t exactly suitable at that time. You have to see the bigger picture and see what was not working.

Most of the time, it means that the opportunity just wasn’t right for us. The work fails to foster our growth, lacks inspiration, and doesn’t replenish our energy. Perhaps it could be worse — getting that sinking feeling in the stomach, dreading work, and experiencing nausea. It can only mean one thing: you’re not where you’re meant to be. Sometimes the universe is like,” Hey, not that way. This way, please.”

You have to see the signs wherever you are, wherever you go. What the environment is trying to tell you. If you’re sensitive enough, you’ll see that everything around you is a reflection of yourself and your thoughts.

It doesn’t mean once you encounter an obstacle, you should give up, no. You should at least try and see how you feel about it. I don’t think it’s possible to give up on something you like. If you stop going for your passion, it’ll bother you from time to time for sure. From time to time you’ll find yourself again and again, tackling that certain passion because it’s your purpose. It’s where you’re supposed to go.

“I Know My Value”

I used to believe that enduring mistreatment for a specific condition was a normal part of work and academic environments. However, I came to realize that we don’t deserve to be treated poorly anywhere, and many places have policies against such behaviour. Some places have policies against things like that. When you say no to things that diminish your value, the universe will guide you towards more deserving opportunities.

Through life experiences, you’ve gained insights and become more valuable. It’s essential to recognize when it’s time to leave a place or a job and understand your capabilities for something more. You’ve become valuable in a way. Know when you’re capable of doing something more.

Reflecting on my past, I recall a time when I worked at a car wash before becoming a teacher. After two months of spending eight hours working for someone else, I felt a shift in perspective,” I’ve known what it’s like to be down here. Now, I feel like I’m not doing something productive. There’s nothing to learn anymore. I feel like I could be doing something more instead.” I didn’t get fired or laid off. But the universe disentangled me from this job. I was getting called less and less. I found myself busy doing something else — Looking for another job, and focusing on the passion I was studying.

When It's Not Right, Don’t Force it

Let’s tackle the teacher job. I was only in it for the money. I was already teaching one student online as a fun gig. I thought, maybe I should try to teach a larger class. I didn’t find the opportunity at first. I tried, and then I gave up.

A few weeks later, I received a call from a friend asking me to substitute for her in class for the day. Okay, maybe it’s a sign that I should try this out. So, I tried it, it was terrible. I was getting by. I managed to get through it, with the encouragement of the other teachers assuring me that it would improve over time. However, teaching two classes that day felt like a struggle. And I still had to cover her class the next day. I got a deep pitfall in my stomach. I didn’t really want to do it. So I talked to my girlfriend, proposing that she join me to teach just once. She agreed to give it a shot, and to my surprise, she performed the job more effectively than I did.

The following night, my boss called and offered me an opportunity to substitute at a public school rather than the academy. Despite feeling uncertain about it, my girlfriend urged me to give it a try. I accepted the offer and secured the job promptly, but unfortunately, it was short-lived.

Anyway, there was nothing to regret. Even though I got laid off, I learned something. I got paid money for the suffering. The sadness of parting from the kids lingered. I spoke with the head teacher and she reassured me that it was all good. This turn of events helped me realize that teaching a large group of kids wasn’t the right fit for me, even though the financial compensation was great.

I chose not to plead for the position, recognizing that they deserved someone better suited for the position. Forcing myself into something that doesn’t invigorate me goes against my principle of seeking jobs that bring positive energy.

Conclusion — Things Don’t Work Out? That’s Okay!

Getting fired or bad experiences in general is not something that should throw us off balance. Instead, see it from a neutral standpoint. What did you learn from it? What did the experience say about you?

“Learn from every mistake, because every experience, particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are.” -Oprah Winfrey

I believe that each time we make a mistake, we are getting closer and closer to who we really are. We find out what we’re supposed to do — what resonates with us. And that becomes our tool to express who we really are in this lifetime.

I’m not finished with that journey. I’m still here, going, trying to get closer and closer each time with failures. But, I enjoy the experience of learning and trying things out to see what’s working and what’s not. The trick is knowing that it’s just a part of the process. So you won’t take it personally. It won’t attack your self-esteem.

I’m NOT SAYING THAT it’s going to be a short journey. But I want to encourage you because it can always be a breakthrough you couldn’t have foreseen. Don’t focus on the finish line. Enjoy the journey and the learning process. Because when you are at the top, this process will be something you talk about for a long time. If you’re impatient, you’re not in the right mindset. Let’s KEEP GOING!!!

“Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes you’re gonna have to lose. Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side It’s the climb.” -Miley Cyrus. Songwriters: Jessi Leigh Alexander / Jon Clifton Mabe

Follow me to hear more stories. If you want to share your personal stories, consider becoming a Medium member. Click subscribe here.

Thank you for reading :)