Mile Marker 1: You’re Never Too Old to Start Again
I once heard a saying that “there’s never a hit in life like the one you don’t see coming”. I recently experienced this first hand when I received a call from my Supervisor a day prior to returning to work from Parental Leave that my position of 11 years had been eliminated. My initial reaction was shock which slowly turned to fear and confusion over the next few days. At 49 years of age I was certain that I’d be able to travel on my current path all the way to the golden city of “Retirement”. In an instant, that changed and I found myself feeling lost and alone in unfamiliar territory.
Mile Marker 2: People Don’t Plan to Fail; They Fail to Plan
The age-old mantra is to “expect the unexpected”. While I believe this to be somewhat true I found myself facing a dilemma when the unexpected came knocking at my door. Why is this happening? What do I do to fix it? Where do I start to rebuild? As an old dinosaur I didn’t have a clue of what to do or how to go about finding a job in this new digital age.
Mile Marker 3: If You Stay Ready, You Don’t Have to Get Ready
I quickly discovered that my resume and skills were outdated. My professional network was weak and my Brand, which I thought was a cereal, was practically non- existent. In my haste to reach the “Golden Years” I forgot to prepare a Plan B. I needed road side assistance and had no AAA coverage.
Mile Marker 4: Build Quality Relationships in Order to Make a Withdrawal in Time of Despair
I initially reached out to everyone I knew from my past work experiences (Supervisors, co-worker, colleagues, etc.) to inquire about open positions in their Departments within my company. However, I quickly discovered that I hadn’t taken the time to develop these relationships over the years to warrant much more than a “No, sorry hear that. I’ll keep you posted”, which in most cases meant “Good luck, but you’re on your own my friend.”
Mile Marker5: The Most Important Network is the One Under Your Own Roof
I found that when the rubber truly met the road, the people that believed in me the most were my wife and my children. To them, no matter what was going on outside the four walls of our home I was still their Hero. Even though I wasn’t working my duties as a husband and a father remained a priority. My wife became my biggest cheerleader and my children found special ways each and every day to keep me encouraged and moving forward down the road to Reinvention.
Mile Marker 6: Your Job Title is What You Do, It’s Not Who You Are
I’d spent my whole life defining myself by my career achievements. When those were taken from me in one fail swoop I found myself lost and doubting. It took losing the thing I deemed most valuable to learn that value comes from who you are, not from what you do for a living. I am a Business Analyst by trade, but first and foremost, I am a child of God, a husband, a father, and a loyal friend.
Mile Marker 7: An Obstacle is Often an Opportunity in Disguise
There’s an old adage that says, “A Pessimist sees obstacles in his opportunities while an Optimist sees opportunity in his obstacles.” Once I embraced the reality of unemployment and changed my perspective I used it as an opportunity to sharpen my skills, better my brand, and enhance my marketability. In addition, I began to move forward using the resources that were at my disposal.
Mile Marker 8: Isolation is the Last Step before Destruction
To keep myself from becoming discouraged when things were moving along slowly, I got outside the four walls of my home and engaged in activities that would yield return in the long run. (Growth classes, workshops, seminars, volunteering, etc.)
Mile Marker 9: Time is Your Most Precious Commodity, Use it Wisely
I made a habit to dedicate time to my job search daily, but also to make sure that I was adequately rested and set aside time for spiritual, mental, and physical development.
Mile Marker 10: The Two Most Important Days of Your Life are the Day You Were Born and the Day You Discover Why?
It is my belief that we were all created for a purpose. What we do for a living may make us feel good, but until we truly discover that one thing God created us to do, we will never experience the Fullness of Joy.