The economies in the toilet, people are losing jobs all over the place, and every indication is that it will be a long while before the economy recovers and companies start hiring again. A lot of my good friends have lost jobs due to the economic downturn and several of them are looking at it as a blessing instead of a curse.
One of my very best work friends was let go in August from a job he’d had for about 18 months. He’d spent the last several months in a situation that was uncomfortably close to mine: a younger boss who was clueless who felt threatened by his talents and his ability to build relationships. It seemed that nothing he did was right and every time he turned around he was getting dinged for some minor infraction of the unspoken rules (i.e. his boss didn’t like him and was out to get him). After the hell his boss put him through he was feeling relieved when the ax finally dropped and he was let go. He was also fortunate in that he’d just come into an inheritance that would sustain him and his family for a while.
I saw him for lunch a few weeks ago and rather than being upset and depressed about being out of work, he was choosing to see it as a positive and was investing time in his family, volunteering at his church, and working on his investments. The turn around in his bliss level in just three months was amazing. He was relaxed, confident, and back to the old joking self that I’d come to appreciate.
Another friend of mine works in the Miami office of my company and she’s been notified that her last day with the company is 3/31/09. I was amazed when I saw her this week and found that she was amazingly happy and up beat. She’s making plans for a future that doesn’t include corporate America. She’s been prototyping jewelry for the last few months and is working on creating a web-based business selling her designs. The happiness flowed off of her as we talked and I felt happier just being around her and listening to her plans for the future. She told me that she was looking at her release from her current position as a sign that she should follow her bliss (okay, my word and not hers) and work on creating her own reality. Like my other friend, she’s fortunate in that she has the financial resources to live without a “real” job for a while.
Basking in my friends happiness, I almost wished that I’d get laid off so that I could work full time on creating my own bliss instead of spending 40 to 50 hours a week working for the benefit of a company. Unfortunately, I’m not in the position to do that, but the lessons in bliss I’ve learned from my friends is that happiness comes from following your dreams and being master of your own time and not slaving for someone else. Applying that to my own life means that I need to draw boundaries around my work life and home life and spend my own time working on the things that are important to me.
Cairn by Cairn 