It’s just a few weeks before Christmas and there is a meeting invite that suddenly “appears” on your work calendar. You know that your company has been laying people off, but you try to remain positive and say to yourself that your manager “just wants to check in with you before going on vacation.” But when you walk into the conference room, and you see the thick folder on the table, you know that you’ve been laid off.
Breathe. Focus. Don’t allow anxiety to set in. Don’t allow bitter, angry thoughts to overcome your mind. Remember what is says in Philippians 4: 6-7:
”Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” – Message Bible
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” – New Living Translation
You know what, there is LIFE after Lay-off, you just need to figure out what that looks like for you. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself isn’t it. Getting angry about it, is definitely not it. Wondering what you did wrong surely isn’t it.
LIFE after Lay-off is about reinventing yourself. It’s realizing that today is the first day of the rest of your life, now go do with it what YOU REALLY WANT TO DO.
How can YOU reinvent yourself after a lay-off? What have you been putting off doing because work got in the way?
So…I’m not saying don’t look for another job. But now that you have some, well LOTS of free time, spend some of it doing what is important to you too. The things that you put on the back burner.