Being Terminated- A Fantastic Learning
I look back and thank my lucky stars for this fantastic opportunity.
In desperation for not wanting to be part of this machine I was working in I was looking to leave my job but the fear of change, the risk of venturing into something new, and the lack of support in my own head, it seemed change was all against me. Then I was terminated.
The best thing that could have happened by far.
The entire process was wrong for so many reasons in my opinion but the end result I am forever grateful for.
Why was it wrong? Big companies and little men making decision was the first error in my mind. You see when I say I was put under investigation the investigation turned out to be nothing more than a fat balled man asking the senior manager a few questions and then making a decision. I did not form part of the investigation neither did I receive any report carried out from the investigation.
There was no chance for defence as the decision was made. That is when I decided to let the courts decide and I won.
Was it the best process to live through? Hell no. But did I learn a bunch? Yes!
The purpose of my blog is by no means a negative copout on my past company but more the learning’s I have gained from this experience.
I have had much more of these kinds of experiences in life, as I am sure many of us have and what previously may have upset me I now look at with a positive light as an opportunity to learn.
When I was fired this was an opportunity for me to learn how not to work again for such companies.
When I was 13 years old working as a dish hand and the dishwasher broke there was an opportunity to stop working away my weekends as a kid for $3 an hours and live more of my childhood.
Having just moved to Japan and only a couple of weeks in I tore a ligament in my leg only to discover I needed operation. This required a business class flight home; operation, 3 months of recovery and the opportunity to pick myself back up and get back to Japan. The hurdle became a series of many learning’s.
Recently I was 3 minutes late for a flight, which meant that I had to wait another entire day to fly home. This gave an opportunity to spend another night with some good mates of mine whom I rarely get to hang with.
All these occurrences and situations demand us to look at a situation in another light. We so often get wound up in our emotional feelings at the time that we struggle to find the positive opportunities that exist, we waste the moment we live and that is the now.
What we desire, what we dream of, what we obsess over, what we wish to change, what we wish to create in our minds, what we chase, what we choose to focus on, all, with the right dedication, will come to us at sometime in ways we never imagined.
I had created in my head that the job I was terminated from was not leading me in the direction I wished to take. I planted a seed probably 12 months prior to actually being terminated.
Why? Well for a bunch of reasons really but probably the main reason, that I have sense come to grips with is that I am unemployable, perhaps suitable for another blog posting.
In short I just cannot stand working for people who lack compassion, integrity and honesty. I don’t enjoy listening to people or companies who claim to stand by a set of values yet in adversity do not. People that lack sensibility enough to make decisions without fear of being wrong, rejected or disciplined over, yet want to lead people, this frustrates me. That goes to also questioning the system when encouraged to do so yet shunned when actually done.
I guess in short I am not one who easily fits into the cog of the corporate work environment. I am not one to conform.
I am not a robot that can be programed to operate to a certain standard! Although I think even robots would stand strong with their beliefs and values then some managers I had worked with.
I think there is more purpose to life then living to someone else’s dreams, expectations and desires.
So with the seed planted I started to learn how not to work for such bosses or companies. I began my search for something else, something that would provide me more purpose and satisfaction in my life.
I did many things right along the way but also did many things wrong. In particular I started to really not enjoy going to work. And to make it worse I had gained a new boss who turned out worse than my previous, who would have thought, and this only grew my frustrations.
This was my error as my attitude towards upper management changed. My attitude towards the company changed. My attitude towards life changed. This showed on the outside. You could probably have smelled it.
My second error was fear. I was fearful of change. Now while I have always handled change exceptionally well and this is perhaps one of my key strengths yet the ability to deal with change in this situation I feared it.
Why? Probably financially there was concern, being new to fatherhood, how would I support the family. There was also the fear of failure, ‘what if’ kind of thoughts. What if I failed, if it didn’t turn out? Projections into the future holding me back, if only I knew then what I know now.
This is the conundrum. When faced with these situations we can get so wrapped in our emotions that we forget the importance of now. Now is all that matters.
Instead using my situation I told myself all sorts of stories, things that’s didn’t even exist. I created scenarios of all possible future events and outcomes of how the situation would be played out. Yet all this is irrelevant if there is no focus on the now and what actions I take.
Being so involved in my emotions I forgot all about how it came across to the outside world not only at work but also in my everyday life. I was angry, frustrated, slightly depressed, and lost much care for myself.
This is where we often go wrong.
This is what led me to being terminated. I created it myself!
I believe the company had decided I now longer was fitting in and this was an easy way for them to let me go. Who knows really but at the end of the day only I can take full responsibility for how things ended.
This could have been handled differently. I could have let go of my attachment with my negative attitude towards the company and senior management. I could have showed up and given it my 100% every day regardless of where I was heading. I just needed to continue my pursuit on how to find other opportunities while still living positively in the now.
However there was a reason it turned out as it did and the path I am now and for that I am grateful. I have learnt how not to work anymore in those situations. I have discovered passion in what I do. I have learnt and still am learning how to live in the moment, in what matters, which is now. I am focused on my goals but what I do now towards those is all that matters.
I believe in many things but one thing I strive for in life and always have is freedom. I believe in freedom of choice, freedom of opinion, freedom in how I choose to live my life, freedom to do what I want and when I want, freedom to live, laugh, love and enjoy life.
I now have freedom, I now have purpose, I now wake up every morning with such drive, determination and passion to make a difference each day and live in the moment. My passion and now my obsession is to continue to improve myself, learn and assist others on how to live a fulfilled life.
Being terminated on the 27th of November 2012 has had more positive impact on my life than almost any other event to date, and is why I am forever grateful.
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