Your circumstance does not define you - the 3 things I've learnt from a layoff

It’s sobering to see that ~210,000 people have been laid off in 2023 just in Tech alone. This post goes out to anyone who has been impacted. As with any other major life event that throws you off your feet, be kind to yourself and take all the time and space you need to go through this wilderness journey. While you’ve been thrown into a situation that you have no control over and it may seem daunting at first, there are silver linings and you are absolutely in control of making the best of it.

Here are 3 things that I’ve learnt over the last 4 months:

1. The economics of any job is essentially trading time for money. When you’re earlier in your career, you have less money and more time; as you reach the middle of your working life, you’ll probably have more money but less time. This continues until you retire when you then go back to having less money but more time. Being laid off provides an opportunity to disrupt this flow for a season of your life to get more time back for yourself. Treasure it. On some days, this disruption will feel like a curse but you’ll find many more days where you’ll see it as a blessing.
2. If you’ve been in the fortunate position of getting a decent severance package, it’s a good time to make your money work for you. You’ve been given an opportunity to get a sum of money that might have otherwise taken you a longer time to save from a regular paycheck. Take this time to be wise with your finances. Speak to people knowledgeable in this space to find your own balance between risk and returns. 
3. You are a lot more resilient than you might think you are at this moment. While you look for another gig, don’t expect it to be smooth sailing all the time. You will be disappointed, you will be ghosted, the waiting game can feel painful at times. But there will be good days as well. Don’t beat yourself up and just go with the flow. Time and chance will happen, just trust the process, trust your belief system and it will eventually turn out fine. You’ll also be pleasantly surprised by how much kindness there is out there. People will root for you, others will try and open doors for you. Some of these people have been in similar situations before so they understand what you’re going through and are paying it forward. Remember this kindness. When you land on your feet, pay it forward too :) 

Finally, take comfort that this is but a season of your life! It won’t go on forever so enjoy it while it lasts. This new found time will fly by fast, week after week. Be intentional with how you’d like to spend this time doing things that you enjoy. There will be days you don’t want to do anything, that is absolutely fine. This is YOUR time. Use it however you want. The kind of peace of mind, freedom and recharge you’ll get from this season will be unlike any other break you’ve experienced and is absolutely worth the time / money trade off.

However you plan to use your time, I encourage you to take some moments to go deep to get to know yourself even more. It can be scary but well worth it. Not being in the daily grind gives you the unique opportunity to really expand your mind and perspective in a way that is hard to when the next looming deadline is upon you. The sheer thought of the endless possibilities can be both intimidating and liberating. Embrace it. The universe has brought you down this path for a reason and you won’t be the same person you were before. For me, 4 months on, I’m clearer on who I am and where I’ll like to contribute my time and energy towards.

This is a photo my wife took while in Norway a few months back. I love it because it poignantly captures this season of my life. While in an uncertain environment, I can only try to be as prepared as I can be; I’m trying to keep it altogether amidst the unfamiliar terrain but I’m reminding myself to try to enjoy the journey and take in the sights. I’m not planning too far ahead and just taking one step at a time; hoping I don’t slip on the ice! 🤣

If you made it this far, thanks for indulging me and I hope you took away something meaningful. If you're looking for someone to talk to, have a chat, just catch up, don't hesitate to reach out. You don’t need to know me, but I’m more than happy to be a listening ear and maybe offer some perspective if you’d like.

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