Do You Hate Your Job? (Recession-Proof Dreams)
Damn, it’s hard to believe it’s been a year already, but 365 days ago today I was laid off. A lot has changed over the course of that time span, but one thing has remained constant—my 2009 motto to be “Fired & Inspired.”
I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. See, I wasn’t sad when my then-boss delivered the news that I was no longer a cost effective employee, I was actually excited. I walked out of his office with the same smile I had when I entered.
Don’t get me wrong, I was not in any rush to trade my biweekly checks for the sizably smaller unemployment checks I’d grow to depend on, but I wasn’t happy at my job. More specifically, I wasn’t inspired by my 9-to-5. I had been doing the same thing for roughly 10 years and I had become complacent. Getting let go was the spark I needed to do all the things I wanted to. All of the things I needed to do just to keep the lights on.
Professionally, I started writing about things other than just music. Personally, I was able to develop deeper and more sensual content for this blog. Coincidentally, my dismissal from my job came just three weeks after I relaunched NakedWithSocksOn as an official dot com and a week after I celebrated that accomplishment, along with my belated birthday, with a big blog bash in the city. (If you didn’t make it you missed a good one—even Taco Meat was there.)
During the past year, NWSO has grown by leaps and bounds. Readership is up, subscribers have quadrupled, we’ve gotten press from major outlets, we’ve dabbled in original video content and launched a weekly erotica series that earned the site a 2009 Black Weblog Award. Not bad for something I do for free—for now at least.
While the blog hasn’t paid off financially just yet, the consistent support I receive from you guys and gals has been priceless. There were plenty of times I wanted to jump off the ledge and vented my frustrations here, but y’all pulled me back to reality every time.
For the most part, though, I held true to my fired & inspired mantra. Even when the mailman wasn’t cooperating by not delivering my checks when I wanted them, I stayed grounded. I just kept hustlin’ assignments, cranking out blogs, and kept faith in my abilities and the belief that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
All the hard work eventually paid off, as the blog continues to grow and I landed a new gig in October. Funny enough, it’s for the same company that had let me go just nine months earlier.
I affectionately refer to my time away as “maternity leave.” Although I came back to the same company, it was to a different position, one that allows me a tad more freedom and creative control. Of course nothing beats working for yourself and I miss sleeping in, but overall, I enjoy my new gig.
It’s funny saying that now because a year ago I was at a point where I could barely get myself out of bed to go in to the office each morning. But my time away allowed me the space to mentally recharge and look at things from a fresh perspective.
People tend to say you’re lucky to have a check these days, but I don’t subscribe to that train of thought. I know plenty of people that hated/hate what they did for a living and felt totally liberated when they were let go or pray for the day they get clipped so they can collect unemployment. Yeah, we all need money to make ends meet but we also require peace of mind—especially in these hard economic times.
Instead of feeling lucky to have a job, your boss should feel lucky to have you. That’s the mentality a lot of people are lacking. See, a lot of us have jobs, but very few have actual careers. I’ve been blessed to have the latter for the majority of my adult life. That’s why even when I didn’t have a 9-to-5 I was still able to survive because I have a talent/skill and I’m confident in my abilities.
It just sucks that I know way more people without jobs than those with one, but that’s the reality we live in. I’m not going to front like it’s easy to land a full-time gig nowadays because I know from personal experience that it’s pretty bleak out there, but I also know there’s money out there for those that are strong-willed and hungry enough to go get it.
I can’t speak for everyone else, but I know what I’m worth and I refuse to sell myself short. At the same time, I’m not too proud to do what it takes to survive. If I’ve learned anything over the last year it’s that you should never be too afraid to follow your dreams because hard work pays off—maybe not when you want it to but it does eventually and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
So it doesn’t matter whether you’re employed or unemployed, content or disillusioned, broke or rich, you have to find your inspiration and let that be your guiding light. Let it shine and eventually you will too.
Have you or anyone else you know lost their job in the past year? If so, are you/they still unemployed? How much of a struggle has it been to find steady work? Have you been willing to do something “beneath” you just to make ends meet? If you landed a new job, how long did it take? With the economy all jacked up do you feel like you’ll never get back on your feet? Do you currently have a job that you absolutely hate? Are you too scared to quit without a safety net set up? What would you like to be doing instead of your current job? Have you considered going back to school at all? Are things getting better or are they just as messed up financially as they were last year?
Job or not, how are you holding up in the recession now?
Speak your piece…
“Do You Hate Your Job? (Recession-Proof Dreams)”