Losing my Job
Interesting times. In January, out of blue, my full time job—the one that paid well and got me back on my feet financially after a divorce, the one that I did not love, but allowed me to work from home, the one that I was pretty good at, but didn’t inspire me—just vaporized.
The week before, while Mana Gardening, I had been asking some questions to Universe/God/Spirit/Divine Consciousness about this.
Questions like:
• What would it take to live an inspired life?
• Do I need to quit my job to focus on my heart’s desire so that I may love my work?
I had been feeling unfulfilled and knew I truly wanted finish and publish the creative project I had been working on for 8 years in order to bring it to fruition.
And suddenly this happened.
Interestingly, I had an awareness that, as my boss was “letting me go” on a Friday at 4:30 pm, that this was perhaps the gift I had been asking for.
The Space of Choice
There was a moment of choice that I clearly felt.
Viktor Frankl, author of A Man’s Search for Meaning, said, “Between the situation and the response, there is a space. And in that space you can decide how you are going to respond.”
In that moment, I had a choice: to see this as a set back, as a “bad” event that was happening to me, or to see this as the gift I had been asking for.
I could have chosen to feel bad that I had been let go of, that I no longer had financial stability, felt mad, and allowed worry and lack consciousness start to take its hold. I could have chosen the victim perspective, that this just happened to me and it’s not fair.
Yet in that moment, I chose something different.
I chose to believe that this is the gift from the universe I had been asking for, that instead of this happening to me, this must be happening for me! I chose to believe that the universe had been listening to my questions and had provided an answer. And as my boss continued to explain the reasons why she no longer wanted my full time service, I had a glimmer in my eye! I was excited for the new opportunity!
The point I want to make is one of trajectory.
You have choice—that is what this world is built on—the freedom of choice. You have free will and can make your own choices. And there is a moment when life is happening, that you get to choose your reaction or perspective. Sometimes we react, because emotion overtakes us, and we feel like there was no choice. I have been there too.
The Mantra
But, if you can keep an open mind about life, and if you can adopt the phrase,
“Whatever happens to me is actually happening for me,”
and use it as a mantra, and believe it, then you are on a path of grace.
You are on the path of allowing life in all of its expression, to serve you. You are in the flow of life and you have peace. You are in possession of Mana. I believe this is the peace that passes all understanding that Jesus spoke about. Well, part of it anyway.
And when you make that choice in that mere moment when something happens that you could judge as bad, or a mistake, and you DECIDE to just allow for the possibility that this is happening FOR you, then the entire trajectory of the experience changes.
Instead of being bogged down in worry, which I certainly could have gone into, as that pattern was well established in my life, I was instead in a space of ease and intrigue.
What a beautiful energy to experience.
What is more, choosing that perspective has empowered me to stay on the peace and grace trajectory.
The Universe Steps in to Help…
For example, as soon as I made that choice, the choice of ease with being “let go of”, immediately the universe stepped in to help me out.
One of my best friends called while the call with my boss was ending. I had already chosen the path of grace, and my friend called. I told her what had just happened and she wisely said in that exact moment, that her calling right now was absolutely no mistake—that she was here right now to help me hold onto this perspective. She gave me more fuel to keep this fire of ease and intrigue going!
This universe of love completely amazes me! How magnificent that as soon as I make a choice of peace, God is there, in the form of a dear friend (who doesn’t call very often I might add) to help me stay on the path? (Crying as I write this. I feel so grateful).
After that, the trajectory seemed set. I was strong enough in my decision to not go the other way into fear or victimhood. That is not to say my mind did not repeatedly try to take me into worry, because it did and it was persistent—I had to stay the course, remain firm in my decision for peace and say no to those thoughts at least 10 times a day for a few weeks.
My choice is/was to view losing my job as a perfect opportunity to get my creative project completed, published and out to the world, and I had to keep reminding myself of this.
A month and a half later, the peace and grace trajectory continues and those nagging thoughts of worry and lack are more at bay and are not so intrusive. And my book is oh so close to being finally published!
On the other hand, lets consider what may have happened if, in that moment of choice in that space between getting laid off and my response to it I had chosen a path of fear? What if I had resisted life and allowed myself to feel the fear vibrations, yet again. I would have suffered through some pretty nasty emotions and probably would have not slept well for many days, and may have even made myself sick. I may have expressed my anger to my former employer and eliminated any possibility for consulting for her.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, at some point I would have had to stop all the madness and pull myself out of it—which once you get down deep—is harder and harder to do. Pulling yourself out of negativity is extremely difficult work. Believe me, I have been there, done that, don’t want to keep doing that.
What Can You Do in that Space of Choice?
With all this said, try to notice those little moments when you have a choice about how to feel about, or how to respond to something. In those moments, you actually have 3 choices:
- Resist what is happening, go into negative emotion, and at some point do the hard work to get yourself back into the flow of positivity.
- Have no opinion whatsoever. Be neutral. It is what it is.
- Embrace the situation.
Choices 2 and 3 can serve you well, and empower you to keep a positive perspective and thus feeling happier about life. Making these choices can at least prevent you from doing a deep dive into the negative zone that takes days, weeks or longer to pull yourself out of.
I must say that making the choice to look at my job loss in a positive light, as something that is happening for me, and as an answer to my prayers, feels completely delightful! I feel like a kid in a candy store wondering what is the next awesome thing that is going to happen. How does it get even better? What else is possible?
If you make choices toward your own happiness, flow with life instead of resisting it, who knows? God might step in and help you along that path.
Namaste,
Dr. Shine
