Sometimes, change is something we bring upon ourselves voluntarily. We make a leap from the old path to the new (see my last post for more on this). But sometimes, change happens to us, against our will. The good news in those circumstances is, we don’t have to agonize over whether to change or not. The bad news is, we find ourselves off a cliff, without warning, or even a good plan as to what to do next.
But the REALLY good news is, humans are amazingly adaptable creatures, when circumstance requires. Necessity is the mother of more than just invention. And for anyone who’s in the large crowd of people who’ve had their old careers yanked away from them in the current recession (and implosion of certain creative and publishing industries) … here’s a bright spot of encouragement.
A group of laid-off advertising people recently got together and used all that unemployed creative talent to produce a film called Lemonade. I haven’t seen the actual film, but I watched the trailer, and it seems like a worthwhile project. It tells the stories of people who lost their jobs … and found far more fulfilling life paths. Paths they might not have had the courage to pursue if they’d had to voluntarily give up good paychecks to do it.
So does that mean getting laid off can be a good thing? Well, rejection is never a good feeling, no matter what the circumstances. And finding yourself suddenly without a paycheck is a challenge. But just as getting dumped by a bad-but-not-terrible boyfriend can be the best gift he could ever give to you, freeing you more easily to move on … getting dumped by a job that pays well but doesn’t feed your heart or soul can be a gift, as well. Albeit in slightly rough clothing. But generally with at least a severance package to sweeten the deal.
It’s worth remembering that few epic heroes voluntarily choose to leave their comfy villages until something bad happens. Sometimes, our courage needs a little push out the door—or off the cliff.
Lemonade is playing in New York City (Times Square Arts Center) on January 22, and somewhere in Chicago on January 28th or 29th. You can watch the trailer, and find out more about the project, on their web site: www.lemonademovie.com
But even if you don’t see the movie, its tag line is worth pinning up on a wall if you’ve recently been laid off:
It’s not a pink slip. It’s a blank page.
Lane Wallace is the Editor and Founder of No Map. No Guide. No Limits.
Next post: A Big Bag of Money
Previous post: Leaping into the New Year
everybody got laid off and no one went flying?! that’s where I’d be headed, post haste.