When You Lose The Job That Defined You

It’s the loss that is all too common nowadays but the one that we tend to dismiss as the least important emotionally. Unlike relationship breakdown, we tend not to look at the emotional impact of losing a job instead concentrating on the financial fallout. But for many people, losing their job can be even more devastating as they not only have the worry of how they will cope financially, but in many instances, feel as if they were their job, resulting in confusion, loss of identity and shaken confidence.

It’s easy to see how this can happen. Just think about the last time you met someone new. Chances are within a couple of minutes one of you asked the question: what do you do? For many of us, our identity is inextricably linked to our job title. What we do defines us, especially if it is something we have worked long and hard to gain expertise at, or that we feel is intrinsically linked to our soul purpose.

Losing your job is just like going through a break-up. The first thing to understand is that just like someone whose marriage has broken up – you are not defined by your job title any more than someone going through a divorce was defined by the title Mrs or Mr. You are far more than that! And just as someone goes from being part of a couple to being single again and then entering into a new relationship, you will pass through the stage of being unemployed to being in a new job or new way of working. How many people have come out of a relationship they thought was their soulmate only to discover an even more fabulous relationship! Tune into your psychic ability look for clues with your intuition and KNOW that the Universe won’t let you down.

Don’t get stuck in the past. While it’s good to look back at any situation and see what we can learn from it, it’s counterproductive to keep replaying events over and over again in our heads. This is like someone who has gone through a break-up and keeps on re-running head movies of them and their ex while saying they want a new relationship – and then wondering why it doesn’t appear! Instead of looking back at your previous job, look forward to your new one. If you’re not able yet to fully visualise the kind of work environment you want to be in, charge your job search with excitement such as thinking about getting to know your next group of colleagues, being in a stimulating work environment and finding a new place to buy coffee or have lunch.

Above all, don’t feel guilty that you don’t have a job to go to right now. You’ll be back to work soon enough. In the interim, be mindful a major relationship has ended, allow yourself time to mourn and above all – just as if you’ve been through a break-up, remind yourself that you deserve to be loved – or in this case, employed, for every quality you bring to your work. You are far more than just a job title you are a unique, beautiful and divine soul. Remember – work can define us but it is never all that we are or capable of being.