Take One Day At A Time To Rebuild A Career

2020, my first month of the year was busy and productive. What about you?

Friday, the 31st of January, the last time I set foot in this place that had been the centre of my corporate life in the past 4 years. I packed up all personal belongings (not that I had a lot), said goodbye to my colleagues, and left my swipe card for good. I took one last look before heading down to the lifts. This is it. The door is closed. I’ve moved on, no hasta la vista baby. I won’t be back.

In the wake of my departure, last night, I wrote a long post on Facebook saying that I’ve been made redundant. Since then, I’ve received an outpouring of support from friends and colleagues. It’s made me realize that I’m not alone in this journey, now and in the future.
My original idea was to wait until I’ve landed a job, and then I can start bragging about it. But I changed the plan. Unexpectedly, the responses have been overwhelming (in a pleasant way).

That’s the thing. We live in a result-oriented, outcome-driven society. Often what makes the cut, what makes the cover story is a gloss finish we see. In between, we don’t get to see the by-products or the unsexy side of the process that comes along with it. Perhaps we all have been conditioned to believe that only a happy ending is Facebook-worthy, others aren’t.

I’m glad I broke the theory, the stigma around the bad, and the ugly. I don’t need to over-state the good and the beautiful. We’ve seen enough of it on social media already. What should be trending now is: People can feel free to talk about their vulnerability and be completely OK with it. It’s your platform, play hard, but most of all, play real.

I don’t wish to dwell on the redundancy that’s now truly behind me. It’s a history. Right now, it’s all about my next move. But before I can make a move, I’ll need to recharge my batteries.

It’s important to note that it’s only the job that was taken away from me. The ability to rebuild my career has not, conversely, neither the ability to sabotage myself.

You can be your best ally. You can also be your own worst enemy. Since no one can hold two thoughts at the same time, it’s a choice you need to make. Both are hungry wolves. One will power you up, and the other will eat you up. If you believe what I’ve just said makes sense, then you’d agree that before you can bounce back, you’ll have to acknowledge the ball is in your court.

Well into February, the new year seems already like a distant memory. Day one, I’m making no plan A, let alone Plan B. I won’t say I’m unemployed. I’ll say I’m between jobs. See the difference? Living in the moment is an art and truly a lifelong subject. I’m happy to just do simple things in life – playing it by ear, doing some writing, enjoying this little haven of mine, and it’s OK not to know what the next avenue is…

Till next time, keep exploring and watch this space…