My boss came in on Monday morning and without warning announced that our company was closing for good on Friday.

I’ll admit the initial sting really hurts and it is easy to see how getting fired sends some people into a tailspin.  Panic lurks just under the surface about money, reputation and the long-term impact on my career.

However, I’m trying hard to believe that It is not as bad as it seems.  After all, there has been more than one person bounce back when they got fired.  Right?

3 reasons getting fired may be the best thing that ever happened

No one wants to get fired.  Well, there may be those out there in really bad jobs that don’t have the guts to quit, but that’s not the typical person.  Most of us need our jobs and if we are going to leave, we want to do it on our own terms.

However, life doesn’t always play out according to our plans, does it?  Our future can change abruptly as it did for me.  Okay, okay, I’ll confess the scenario above is a true story about my getting fired, but it happened in January of 1998.

Of course, that doesn’t make it any less real and it goes to show you that it is not the end of the world because I really did bounce back.

One of the hardest parts about getting fired is the blow it deals to your ego.  We all like to think we are irreplaceable.  We want to believe that we are just too doggone valuable for someone to lay us off.  Well, when push comes to shove, everyone is vulnerable.

If you are in this situation now, you have to look at the bright side.  Let me assure you, there may very well be a shiny silver lining to this whole mess.

I don’t want to dish up a bunch of patronizing platitudes, but as someone that’s been there, I do think I can offer you some hope.

Here are three ways that getting fired might work in your favor:

1.  Getting fired may be just the kick in the pants you need

Many of us, myself included, are reluctant to leave behind something “safe” for something that feels more risky.  The unknown always feels riskier than maintaining the status quo.  However, once you’ve been fired, you know that feelings sometimes deceive you.

Getting fired may be just the push you need to get out there and try something you’ve always wanted to do.  If you weren’t fired, then you might have continued down the same boring path you were on and missed out on some incredible opportunity awaiting you just around the corner.

For me, I wanted to be in business for myself ever since I was a kid.  Getting fired turned out to be just the push I needed to get out there and give it a shot.  If I hadn’t wound up unexpectedly unemployed, I might have never had the guts.

2.  Getting fired may give you the opportunity to try some new things

Look at your situation as a “get out of jail free” card.  The world is your playground.  Yes, you have obligations and responsibilities to meet, but the options for how you go about addressing those is wide-open.

You can experiment.  How about trying something a little different?  Why don’t you put a new twist on your old career?  Are you curious about that new upstart company you’ve heard so much about?  Go talk to them!

Have you ever thought about staying at home with the kids?  Now might be the time to give it a try.  If you get on a budget and manage your money right, it can certainly work out.

My wife has stayed at home for over eight years now.  There was an adjustment period, but now it is the new normal.  People do new things.  Whatever you want to do, It can work for you, if you want it bad enough.

3.  Getting fired will give you the chance to totally reinvent yourself

Have you ever wished that you’d chosen a different profession?  Most of us start our careers at a very early age.  We pick something we think we’d like to do, but then later feel stuck.  Well, by getting fired, you just got the gift of getting unstuck.

This is your chance to totally reinvent a whole new you.  Jonathan Fields started out as a securities lawyer in NYC, but later decided that wasn’t the life he wanted.  He left it all behind even with all the time and money he had invested in law school!  Now he has forged a whole new life for himself as an author, entrepreneur and business mentor.

On one of his blog sites, you can find the profiles of numerous other Career Renegades like Jonathan.  They are inspiring!  I encourage you to read a few to see the possibilities for reinventing yourself during this period of opportunity in your life.

Focus on the bright side of getting fired and you will bounce back

Getting fired was certainly not in my plans, but it opened the door for me to start my own business.  It turned out to be a blessing in disguise!

As with most things in life, it is all about how you look at it.  It is your perspective.  If you lift your head up, keep your eyes open and look at the bright side, then you’ll likely be back on your feet in no time.  What’s more, things might even take a turn for the better!

Have you ever been fired?  How did you handle it?

Photo by a2gemma