This is why getting fired is actually a good thing
How I'm reframing one of the hardest moments in my life
Have you ever had something big happen to you that you then had to deal with and basically reframe to keep it from crushing your spirit? I recently got fired and for me, finding the ‘good’ in it has been crucial to my mental health. So, bear with me as I explain to you why getting fired is actually a good thing.
I can already guess what you’re thinking: “Did she really just say that getting fired is a good thing?”. So I will add a disclaimer right away: this is about my personal experience. If you were laid off recently and feel crappy about it, you might want to skip this blog. BUT this text could also provide you with a different perspective that could help you cope with the reality you’re currently in. Cause let’s be real:
Getting fired changes everything.
No matter what type of job you have; getting laid off means that you suddenly lose all rhythm in your life, all financial stability and, I don’t know how this was for you, but I sort of lost my feeling of purpose for a second.
Because why do we get out of bed every morning? As a childless woman without pets and now without responsibilities? Sure, I have to water my plants but they can certainly survive without a drop for a week.
The truth is: even though I will shit on capitalism every chance I get, jobs – doing work that provides us with direction, ambitions and a sense of agency – do add something to our lives. And I had a job that I loved.
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FIRED AND FRIED
Woof, that was sort of a downer. So, when do we get to the good part? Well… Even though I had a job that I loved, I worked at a pretty shitty company. A toxic work environment where people who spoke up about said toxic culture, were intimidated and reprimanded and – surprise, surprise – fired.
And there is no job awesome enough to outweigh the major downside of a horrible work environment. But I was stuck. I live in the Netherlands and over here, you have to get fired in order to get unemployment benefits. And as you can probably already tell from the blogs I’ve written before; I am a rule follower. I would never try to get fired on purpose.
I powered through for months, ignoring the occasional mental breakdown and putting on a brave face. Smiling at my boss while trying to figure out a way to make my situation more bearable.
I was feeling burnt out.
One day, I decided to actually take matters into my own hands. And even though I got yelled at for standing up for my coworkers a few months ago, I couldn’t keep pretending. So, I told my boss that I was unhappy. That something needed to change and that I wanted to figure out a way to make my job fit me instead of the other way around.
I got fired the next Monday.
So now I was not only burnt out, I was also fired with a planned (expensive) vacation coming up. I was fried and fired and honestly, things weren’t looking good. But I got what I wanted: I was free.
WHY IT’S ACTUALLY A GOOD THING
And that freedom is what eventually – pretty quickly, actually – made me feel like I had just stumbled onto a blessing in disguise. Because I got fired. And that meant I would still have a paycheck coming in every month. Granted: it’s definitely not a lot of money and I need to look for a new source of income ASAP, but I finally had some space to breathe.
I felt stressed out for a whole five seconds and then, I finally rested.
The first weeks after my vacation I didn’t do anything. I played video games, worked on some stuff around the house, watched some shows… I really took a much-needed break from life and it… Well, at the risk of sounding dramatic: it healed me.
It made me think about the possibilities: all the things I could now do or explore. It made me drag this blog out of the depths, back from where I hid it once I started writing for my job. Because when I got that job, I felt like I had to have a “professional” online presence (you know, the kind where women don’t talk about feminism and preach about a better world).
And when I got fired, I decided to do something completely out of my comfort zone. I finally made the choice to do things I’ve been thinking about doing but never had the courage to. And finally decided to actually do the things I love.
WE’RE FIRED AND BACK, BABY
And that brings me to today. Where I sit and write this blog post about why I got fired and why I don’t mind. The reason why turns out to be exactly that: the fact that I can now sit here and write this. To do something I didn’t have time or energy for when I was still working, but that made me so happy.
I sacrificed something that brought me joy when I started this job. I sacrificed not only my peace but a small part of myself as well. And I did that for over a year. Of course I wasn’t unhappy during all of it; I actually look back at my job with fondness. Not for the company, but for my coworkers and the work I did. I made some really amazing things while doing a job that I actually enjoyed. And it helped me realize that I love writing. More than anything in the world.
So, getting fired brought me back where I needed to be. It brought me back to you all.
Yes, I got fired.
But now I am back here and there’s nowhere I’d rather be. Now let’s see where this goes.
Together.
