How being fired can be the best thing ever!

Being fired isn’t something that most of us aspire to but it doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. It can actually be a beginning. Last October I was ushered into my supervisor’s office and laid off. I was told that Brides magazine no longer had the budget to support having me work for them as a freelancer. It sucked on many levels. My pride was hurt and it felt like a betrayal to all the hard work that I had done. 

I was irritated because the person giving me the news was not the one that had hired me. The person who told me that I shouldn’t book any other work until the end of the year hid in his office. But mostly I was upset because of my dedication to a company that was laying people off who were the backbone of their business.  But then something else happened… within minutes of getting the news, I felt free. I felt lighter. It’s the feeling you have at the end of a bad relationship.

Magazines are also being fired

The layoff wasn’t surprising because print magazines have been failing for years. The whispers were there. Most magazines hadn’t evolved quickly enough to keep up with social media etc.  Many of the brands neglected to listen to employees and instead hired companies outside of the industry to tell them what to do. Just think how great open spaces work. Newsflash open office spaces do not increase productivity. It is too noisy and distracting. Case in point I once freelanced for a food magazine where the copy person complained that I crunched my Stacy’s Pita chips too loudly. But with diminished staff when was I to take a lunch break? So, I ate and crunched at my desk daily.

Prior to my untimely yet timely departure, I felt sick daily. I went from depression to anxiety and exhaustion endlessly throughout the day. Quite frankly, we all did the death march to our desks every morning because we were all worried. I once mentioned this to the hiding director on the floor and he told me I was wrong. He said people told him they were happy. Obviously, we were not speaking to the same people.

Is she kidding?

As I was given the news the woman that delivered it seemed perplexed that I was not upset. I mean really what should I have done? Cried? Had my period in her office? Or curl up in a ball and beg to keep the job? I am not a prideful person but no! I think not! As she was speaking I was thinking “Damn it why did I turn that other gig down?” Oh yeah because I was told that I was booked through the end of the year. 

Anyway, I brushed off my ego as I walked out the glass doors and was grateful that I had met the people that I had while there. Because though magazines are failing the people that work there are not failures. Some of them are my greatest friends and most damn smart. They taught me things about myself that I needed to learn. They taught me tolerance, patience, kindness, and generosity.

On to the next

While I am not sure what the future holds I do know that I am going to be alright. Being pushed out of that comfort zone was the path to a great new beginning. For one it made it easier for me to leave New York which I loved. So come and join me as I write, cook, bake, garden, learn, and earn. I have decided that my new focus isn’t about finding the perfect job but rather how to be “Healthy for Life.”