18 Good Thoughts For People Laid Off

M y career is in Human            hear?                              Resources and my first                                            introduction to layoffs        One at a time, the affected        occurred in the mid 1980’s when I     employees were advised by their    worked for the Miller Brewing         supervisor, allowed to collect     Company. Never in the history of      their things and say goodbye to    this illustrious company had we       friends. Next they were escorted   conducted salaried layoffs, and       to the HR department where we      it was perceived as letting go of     advised them of their benefits,    your closest friends and family       remaining pay and next steps.      members. It was horrible, and for     Then we walked them to the door.   hundreds of people it forever         We were instructed to be swift,    changed the meaning of the            firm but caring. When it was       expression, It’s Miller Time.         over, we then laid off members of                                        the HR team who had just helped    The first layoffs were                to let go of the others. We        accomplished with a high level of     anticipated this might happen.     secrecy, and also the greatest                                           respect and dignity. It started       As the layoff was occurring, I     in the morning, and a warm and        remember sitting at my desk and    inviting lobby that offers a bar      waiting for the next person on     and beer taps was suddenly quiet      the list to show up. Usually you   as a funeral parlor. People           knew the person and could          passed each other in the halls        anticipate how they were going to  without establishing eye contact      react, but it wasn’t always as     because you might learn something     you anticipated. What allowed you  you didn’t want to know. If           to establish a connection with     someone said, Hello, how are you?     them was the fact you might get    The awkward response might be,        the axe yourself by the end of     Why are you asking, what did you      the day. You never knew, so you    felt like you were in this            regaining control of their life    together. It actually helped to       and career, and it felt good.      ease the pain.                        After meeting with several of                                            these opportunistic thinkers, I    Eventually you developed a            was already dreaming what I might  preference for which reaction you     do, and was almost hoping to get   wanted a person to have, sort of      laid off myself.                   like switching channels on TV.                                           What I liked most were the people     What kept my feet on the ground    who saw this as a springboard         and head out of the clouds were    opportunity to finally escape a       the occasional people whose lives  declining business situation,         seemed completely dependent on     transform their life and career,      just the Miller Brewing Company.   finally do something entirely         They couldn’t imagine life after   different, move to a warmer           Miller and were stuck in the       climate, start a new business,        mindset of “why me, why now, why   write a book, or even take a much     not someone else, what am I going  needed vacation or sabbatical         to do, what do I tell the wife     from working. It was amazing the      and kids, I don’t even have a      possibilities some of these           resume, I’ll never find another    optimistic people had already         job like this, I just bought a     dreamed up with such short            new car, how do I pay the          notice. It was like they were         mortgage, I’ve got two kids in     anticipating the layoff and           college, or I don’t think I can    already had plans. Many of them       make it through the day.” You      actually commented they felt          couldn’t help but feel sorry for   sorry for the people who were         these people, and sometimes        left behind. Rather than waiting      worried. We were instructed to     around any longer for something       watch for difficult cases and to   bad to happen, they were              connect them with the appropriate  resources that were on standby.       What distinguished the people who  What you wanted to do was pair        landed sooner or with something    them up with the upbeat person        better was not necessarily their   who just left and felt like they      positive attitude before the       couldn’t get out of there fast        layoff. Although that helped many  enough. But that would happen         people to initially endure a bad   later.                                situation, it was a person’s                                             developing positive attitude and   The next day we had arranged for      sense of purpose after the layoff  an outplacement provider to speak     and whether they could sustain     with the entire group and to          it. Many people had to get         discuss a wide range of               through the initial shock, adjust  transition topics. Most people        and regain their composure, and    were still in shock, but on the       then deal with their situation.    third and fourth day, people were     The people who had a more          commiserating with each other,        difficult time ultimately landed   talking about how their layoff        jobs as well, but it took them     was handled (comparing scars),        longer because their positive      and about the people they were        attitude and purpose were slower   sad to leave behind and what          to develop.                        might happen to them. You could                                          almost sense the transformation       Bottom line, it was how a person   that was happening, and it was        felt that determined how soon      good. It was obvious that the         they acted and what they did.      opportunistic thinkers had hit        They acted on their emotions       the ground running, and you could     caused by what they were           easily assume they would land         thinking. Favorable thinking       much faster. This wasn’t always       resulted in feeling better and     the case.                             delivering better results faster.                                        Unfavorable thinking resulted in   feeling not so good, and the          function with a mindset that is    outcome was procrastination or        made content by control of their   mixed results.                        emotions to get what they desire.                                        It’s an optional state of mind     It’s twenty years later, and          that enhances your ability to      after working now with tons of        think clearly, feel better, make   people in transition, I’ve seen       better choices, deliver better     this happen repeatedly. I cannot      results, and to endure regardless  think of one person who was           of your circumstances, even        previously unemployed or lost         layoffs.                           their job that did not find                                              another. It was like there was a      But realize this has nothing to    job reserved for each of them,        do with the power of positive      and they didn’t have to worry. If     thinking that assumes you’ll get   only they could have taken a pill     what you want by thinking          and woke up later to find they        positively. Get real. Wishful      were already settled into a new       thinking has nothing to do with    job. This was impossible because      it, particularly if you’re         whatever happened was the direct      purpose is to keep putting food    result, not of their                  on the table. It’s about the       circumstances, but how they           proven fact that people act on     thought, felt and acted               their emotions caused by what      regardless of their                   they think. You still have to get  circumstances. Their                  up, get moving, and get it done,   circumstances were always             and what causes you to do this     secondary to their thinking and       most effectively and with greater  fulfillment of their purpose.         resolve is how confident and                                             committed you feel. This begins    I refer to the people who get         with how and what you were         this as the advantaged. They          thinking. Was it about the         hurdles, or the goal line?            Things are looking up and already                                        I’m feeling better and better.     From my experience, the                                                  advantaged were always the ones       This enables me to finally do      who despite their layoff,             what I’ve always wanted to do.     reasoned to recognize the                                                agreeable middle ground. They         Thank goodness this is over and I  chose to see the good in the bad,     am getting on with my life.        the rainbow, silver lining and                                           light at the end of the tunnel.       How exciting to think what is      Rather than waste time needing,       going to happen next.              wanting or worrying, they                                                imagined already having their         Is it possible to skip the group   purposes fulfilled, and they          meeting because I have things to   leveraged their resulting             do?                                contented emotions to think                                              clearly and to act with greater       Now I can do what I’ve always      resolve to achieve the results        wanted to do.                      they desired.                                                                                                  I can see already how this is      Because everyone’s purpose was        turning into something really      different, they each had              great.                             different thoughts, but generally                                        speaking, they were thoughts that     This is happening just in time. I  did not ask why me, but inspired      can’t believe this.                feelings of joy, optimism,                                               excitement, enthusiasm and            I’m free, thank God I am free at   gratitude, and they went              last.                              something like this:                                                                                           There’s a purpose and reason for   everything, and I’m excited to        So you see it’s not the layoff     learn mine.                           that opens the door to creating a                                        brighter future. It’s the meaning  I am certain about what I want        you assign to the layoff or        next and can already see it           anything else that happens, and    happening.                            also your predisposition to                                              reason and recognize the           I am fully engaged to do what I       agreeable middle ground, and it    must to get it.                       enables your contentment. Not                                            everyone chose to see it this      Want to bet I land a better job       way, but later wished they had.    than what I had?                                                                                               The advantaged realize that        I am capable of doing what’s          satisfaction is illusive,          required to get whatever job I        unreliable and sometimes beyond    want.                                 their ability to control or                                              afford. They live contentedly in   I feel confident the job I want       a beautiful but imperfect world    is right now looking for me.          with beautiful but imperfect                                             people, and they’re not expecting  My thoughts are focused               everything to go their way. But    positively on my purpose only.        this doesn’t mean they can’t                                             control how they think and feel    I can sense that other people I       in order to have and enjoy the     don’t even know are ready and         life and career they desire. They  willing to help me.                   reason to recognize the agreeable                                        middle ground, and doing so gives  It’s amazing how this seems to be     them more strength and advantages  fitting nicely into my plans.         than most other people could ever                                        imagine.                                                                 Reserved                           © 2007 by Jeff Garton All Rights       About the Author: Jeff Garton is a career coach, author and VoiceAmerica radio host whose background includes a career in HR with the Philip Morris Companies. He also leads the campaign to retire job dissatisfaction. For information, and to join the campaign, please visit http://www.careercontentment.com Read more articles by: Jeff Garton Article Source: www.iSnare.com