Hey! I got fired!

Yesterday, my boss fired me. Or maybe I got laid off; not sure what the difference is. Kinder terminology maybe. Regardless of the terms, yesterday I had a job; today I don't have a job. That's a big change in my reality, and it happens to a lot of people.

Yesterday, I was pretty upset. It caught me, not completely by surprise, but I didn't see it coming right now. I knew it was something that could happen, but I had let myself be lulled into a sense of security, of things going on the way they always have. I felt safe and content, and then suddenly, during a 3-minute conversation, I felt vulnerable and all alone.

I cleared out my desk, packed up the artwork and plants that made my little corner pretty and comforting. A friend helped me carry everything out to my car. And I drove away. It happened so fast, and it was so late in the day, I was able to say goodbye to only two people. Today, everyone came in and probably saw my empty spot and wondered what in the world happened.

Now, I sort of knew it could happen, because I knew that money was tight. I knew that some funding that they'd been counting on was maybe not going to happen, but they assured me that it wouldn't affect me, that they really needed me, and that I was safe. But I wasn't safe. It did affect me. My world is very different today than it was yesterday, not even 24 hours ago.

That's the world almost all of us live in today. Things change and they can change FAST.

I went home and told my husband what had happened, and my victory was that I was able to talk without breaking into tears. He was supportive and encouraging and enthusiastic about what door might open next. I was too caught up in my emotion to be swayed by his positive attitude, but I was able to stay off that slippery slope of debilitating fear and despair.

I didn't sleep much last night, so I woke up tired and groggy. But the amazing thing was, I woke up optimistic, enthusiastic, with a sense of freedom that has stayed with me all day long.

Things happen for a reason. We've all heard that, and most of us believe it, but when we're in the middle of a crisis, we might not be able to feel it. But I feel it. I have been working hard all day long at the thing that I LOVE to do, without fear, without anxiety, just knowing that it feels so right to be doing this. I can focus my full attention on MY own business, without the distraction of someone else's business.

I'm the main wage earner in my household. My husband is a minister and loves his work, but it doesn't pay anything at all. My income pays all of the bills, and sends us on vacation and buys us new computers and iPhones. So when my income goes away, our lives change.

But I'm not worried. I know that MY own business is going to grow tremendously over the next two months, because I know what I'm doing, and I can finally, finally focus on what I love to do: MY own amazing business. My own AMAZING business.

The worst financial disaster that could have happened to me and my family happened yesterday. And I'm feeling GREAT!