Losing your job, or having your job deteriorate over time as you work harder and harder just seems so awful in the moment. And it is. There are so many things to think about, and you cannot possibly deal with everything at the same time. But the moment passes. You survive, and eventually, you start to deal with it in a meaningful way.
When life comes back into better balance, and you do not feel so much anger and pain, you can begin the path of rebuilding, reinventing, and restoring your happiness and congruence. How far you go is up to you. Read Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People for a life-changing discussion on this process, including a discussion of “sharpening the saw,” one of Dr. Covey’s seven habits. As you sharpen the saw, and develop your talents, a path to success will unfold before you. When you get your life back in order, you feel better about yourself and about your life and career path.
The highest level of success will be achieved by self-actualization. The term was first introduced by Kurt Goldstein who described it as the motive that propelled a person to realize their full potential. Abraham Maslow used the term in a paper in 1943, “A Theory of Human Motivation” to describe the top level of his Human Needs Pyramid. Self-actualization is an action word, a process, not an accomplishment. It is a journey into the stratosphere. You increase your effectiveness, and your efficiency. You know yourself, your talents, and your goals. You develop a plan. And you achieve far greater levels of success and happiness as you move forward.
This is the real opportunity that you have when you have a sudden job loss. You can take a few life moments to look at where you are, how far you have come, where you want to go, and how to get there. You can analyze your situation, including your experience, knowledge, and talent, and focus on the pathway to success. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When life gives you opportunity, you make the most of it. That is what my little book is all about.
So………… You Have This Opportunity.