Assume The Position

I just talked to someone today and they told me they just got laid off from their job recently. How unfortunate – or is it? Instead of saying something like, “Oh, that’s too bad,” or “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, “Oh really, what are you going to do now?” Quite frankly, it could have been a good thing or a bad thing. Many people seem to think getting laid off is a bad thing. While that may be the case for a lot people, that’s not the case for everyone. Getting laid off could actually be a blessing in disguise.

I remember a story about an old woman who had just attended a piano concert with none other than the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach. The lady was absolutely enraptured with the beauty of the music and was thrilled to be able to be there listening the harmonious tunes as they fluttered through the air of the concert hall. Even more exciting was the chance to talk to the composer after the concert. Filled with excitement, she went to Johann Sebastian Bach and said, “I would give my life to play the way you do.” Without missing a beat, Bach’s reply was simply, “Madam. I have.”

Think about it. What have you always wanted to do in your life? Then ask yourself, what have you done about it? Bach’s reply while simple, contained so much more meaning to it than that. While it’s easy to say you would give your life for something that you are passionate about, it’s much more difficult to actually do it.

Getting laid off just might be the catalyst you need to get back to your dreams and do what you were always meant to do. If you’ve set yourself up properly, then maybe you have some savings and maybe you received a severance. Then now would be a good time to give something a shot. If you haven’t set yourself up properly, then by all means, you must take care of yourself first.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs says that you first need to take care of physiological needs like air, water, food, shelter. After that, you can then focus on safety needs like personal and financial s

ecurity. So make sure you have a roof over your head and know how to pay the bills before you do anything else. If you have to worry about the 800 pound gorilla on your back (how am I going to pay my bills; how am I going to eat; etc), then you’ll have an extremely difficult time focusing on success.

To each their own though. You could be elated you got let go or you could be scared to death. Either way, it’s not a good thing to ass-ume someone else’s reaction. Decide for yourself what it means for you and then ask someone what it means for them before you assume the position of someone else.