It’s seems to be a sudden era of lay-offs across several countries, especially in the Western spheres.
I know what that feels like!
I was once laid off way back in the late ’80s. It’s horrific when you don’t even have a hint of the ‘tsunami’ about to hit you.
Here’s what I felt:
1. ‘You’re FIRED!’ The words ran through me as easily as a stiletto through butter.
2. I walked back dazed into my cabin while everything kept exploding around me.
3. I looked at the picture of my wife and children smiling at me from one corner of my desk and felt the earth shake under my feet. Roof over our heads! Food on the table!! Clothes in the wardrobe!!! Education…fees!!! Whoa!!!!
4.I sat down. Numb…Frozen…ZOMBIE…
What I did:
1. Allowed it all to sink in completely for a few hours alone in my cabin…absolutely alone in the office.
2. Stood up and looked at my reflection in the windowpane. Saw a man: honest, controlled, true to heart and deeply experienced – A SLEDGEHAMMER!
3. Told myself, this end may just be a new beginning for bigger things to come.
4. Ran through my entire contact list and network of friends and associates. Picked up the phone. Spoke to as many as I could. Spoke the truth about what had happened. Never spoke against my organisation. Just said it as it was…
5. Went home and brought my wife up to speed. She didn’t seem shaken. She had more faith in me than I had, I guess!
6. The two of us tweaked our monthly expense budgets around, cut down a few numbers here and there, and all seemed good to go for a while.
7. Walked the streets for over a month like a Gladiator! Met every Placement Agency worth their weight in salt (no internet…no virtual existence back in the day then). Refused to take a NO from any of them.
8. Got my first Interview lined up in 6 weeks. I just had to ACE it!!
9. Stormed through the interview. Descriptively explained to them how I could value-add their Toplines. CHALLENGED them to invest in me. GOT THE JOB!!!
10. Went back home. Placed a record on the turn-table. ABBA. Jived through the song with my wife in my arms. THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL!!!!!!!
Don’t let a ‘pink-slip’ turn darker. YOU HAVE IMMENSE GREATNESS IN YOU!! It’s just that you don’t know it.
Here’s the thing: It’s only when you fall into the deepest end of a pit, will you realise how much STRENGTH you actually have WITHIN to surface out again!
AND IF I COULD…SO CAN YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anand Nair
#winnersmindset#winningattitude#attitudematters#thewinnertakesitall#havingfaithinyourself#anandkumarnair#sledgehammersedgeuniverse#seuhub#musingsofanoldmaverick
