The 6 Day Pivot After Losing My Job


“much with everything in life (…) it is our individual responsibility to be prepared as much as possible for the unexpected”

To be clear, I didn’t lose my job. I know where the job is, it’s simply not mine anymore. You see, a little volatility is part and parcel with being an IT consultant. Sometimes the project ends, new contract vehicles don’t come into play as expected, there are personality conflicts, or there are budget cuts. These things happen. I’ve always believed as a consultant, much with everything in life, it is our individual responsibility to be prepared as much as possible for the unexpected.

What would happen if you had 1 hour notice that your job was cut?

Would you panic? Feel upset? Yell? Cry? Blame? Would you have the means to hold you over until the next job could be secured? If not, would you be able to take enough action and leverage your skills/passion/community to turn things around quickly?

At 2pm last Friday, the contract company called to notify me that my contract was cut, effective immediately, by the department. It was unexpected. I was given one hour to clear out. No one in management had the courage to wish me well. After 26 years at Defence, first as a military member then as a consultant, I knew immediately that this path was done and that it was time for change.

The abrupt contract cut however, seemed like a modern culture cancellation.

I felt relieved and oddly calm.

Let me tell you why all of this is ok with me: a) shit happens, b) I’m capable, and c) I was planning to leave in 5 months. This was simply earlier than anticipated.

The humourous part is that I’m in the midst of writing a new book on adversity and well-being, and I suddenly became my own proof of concept for the book’s framework and premise.

“Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another.” Toni Morrison

MINDSET

As soon as I hung up the phone with the contract company, there were some mindsets that I decided to employ immediately for my own benefit:

  • There would be no wasting of energy on negativity, every ounce of energy would be used in positive action. I needed it to push myself forward as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Any negativity simply wouldn’t be helpful.

  • Any and all solutions would be considered. I’ve been here before and think that it’s crucial not to let bias and ego stop you from seeing the full picture of possible paths and actions.

  • Imagine the worse case scenario and seek solace in knowing that if that does happen, you’re capable of building up from there too. Instead of feeling like you’re on a sinking ship, this tactic helps you see everything above the worst case scenario as winning.

  • Maintain a normal work day schedule. I kept the same nutrition and fitness habits as I normally do (thank you Trevor Kashey Nutrition). as using “work hours’ to establish a new career and create various sources of income. The only thing that wobbled slightly was the quality of my sleep during first six days, understandably.

  • Talk about it and surround yourself with friends. You may be amazed how things come together. Within 24hrs friends helped brainstorm new paths and offered support by leveraging they own professional skills and networks.

The biggest levers

When dealing with a loss of income, the two big levers to pull are spending and earning. First thing I did was make a long list of ever possible way to reduce spending and every possible way to increase earning (short term and long term). No bias, egos, or insecurities - this is a full list of all possibilities. What do I have that I don’t need and could sell? How can I leverage the skills I already have? How can I make my home work for me? What can I do now to earn more in the future?

The 6 day pivot

It only took 6 days to turn everything around. Now, to be fair, I’ve set myself up fairly well over the years to deal with the highs and hurdles in life. As my mother noted when I talked about being cut and how I was going to deal with it, she said; “this is where you thrive”. Indeed. Adversity is what I accept as part of living a big life and I know it well.

Here are the six things I focused on: situational awareness, options analysis, reduce spending, generate quick cash, increase earning (short term), increase earning (long term), and actually doing the work.

DAY 1: Situational awareness

  • Reviewed and captured typical monthly living expenses.

  • Reviewed finances for the remainder of the year and spoke with my business accountant.

  • Checked the current job climate (Consulting gigs? Short term contracts? Local job availability?)

  • Checked the current housing climate (Are housing moving? Is it more of a rental climate? Mortgage rates?)

DAY 2: REDUCE Spending

  • Cancelled all subscription services and returned recent online orders.

  • Reduced monthly plan for phone and internet (Can leverage public wifi if needed).

  • Cancelled upcoming trips and reduced eating out (Booked time with a friend at their cottage instead).

  • Reviewed credit card statements for automated billing and cancelled the ones that weren’t necessary.

DAY 3: quick Cash

  • Sold enough household items to generate a month of living expenses, even if it was at a loss (Gives financial buffer).

  • Advertised for a housemate (Answers how can I make the house work for me?).

  • Signed up on rover.com to babysit pups (Answers how can I make the house work for me?).

  • Brought clothes to consignment (Why have things that don’t fit?).

  • Other ideas could have included leverage your abilities and skills for odd jobs, renting your home on AirBnB, renting out your pool/outdoor space/tools, etc

DAY 4: Increase earning (short term)

  • Booked 3 media appearances that week to increase Best Hikes book sales.

  • Arranged for an advance in royalties with publisher for Best Hikes.

  • Update and created new digital products for girlgonegood.com hiking resources.

  • Booked two speaking engagements.

DAY 5: Increase earning (long term)

  • Posted on LinkedIn that I was moving on and received three job offers for the new year.

  • Spoke to the College of Nurses and scheduled the RN license exam for late fall.

DAY 6: do the work

  • Working on the creation of a new course on how to mitigate the impacts of mass casualty incidents, along with course materials, that will be released in September in time for national preparedness month.

  • Pitching new book on adversity to literary agents with the goal of securing a traditional publishing deal.

  • Investing in myself and bought a study package for the nursing exam in late fall.

  • Building up social media platforms for business.

  • Creating a new movement focused on preparedness and adversity to release in 2024.

  • Scheduled festivals, conference, and events to attend in 2024.

It’s been a busy week. I’m a mix of aliveness and exhaustion.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

Create and build up your own buffers now, before the next hurdle arrives. Whether that’s learning a new skill, reducing spending, taking care of your health, or getting to know your neighbours - building up the 8 dimensions of wellness (emotional, physical, occupational, social, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, and financial) is a fantastic start to a more resilient you.

Living your own big life

How are you adapting to change in your life? How are you building up resilience and a joy for everything that life throws our way? Feel free to tag me on Instagram or LinkedIn with your ideas and actions.

Cheers to living your own big life.

Note: Kindly note that I’ve had an incredible career and experience with Defence, there is nothing but gratitude for the department as it’s left me with the perfect launching pad for the future.

 
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