business integrity

Job Loss and our Fight to Restore our Value

by Estee Taschereau

There are many aspects of self that define us. Many of us learn to define through our actions, or those areas of self where our attention is focused. This often means defining ourselves by the work we do since we spend so many waking hours looking in that direction. What happens to us then if our job ends?

Our work is very much an action and reward based system. We are paid for our time, or for the things we produce. There is the outward flow of energy, ideas, and decisions that produce the desired results. There is the return flow of energy in the form of a paycheck, and occasionally a pat on the back and a good review.

For most of us our work takes a great deal of our time and energy. Our training drives us to learn and develop our career, leaving our personal and social development in a secondary role. While it is true that earning or producing what we need for our day to day needs is important, placing too much emphasis on this role can be devastating when something goes haywire in that area.

When we place the bulk of our value in one area it can be devastating when that avenue for self definition dries up. Finding we are the target of a layoff or firing can quickly strip us of the outer shell that we use to define who we are.

When we lose a job the change affects us in many areas. The loss of income is one of the most obvious. Caring for our basic needs is important and cannot be ignored. There are other losses as well such as the social aspect of our work environment and the routine we lived by. There is also the underlying aspect of self value and worth.

It cannot be denied that the most effective solution is to gain new employment or return to our old job. In the meantime we can turn around this unfortunate situation by looking inward and using this incident as a tool for self improvement.

Look around you, right now. What forms of self expression do you have available to you? Let’s go through a basic list: friends, family, hobbies, pets, journaling, charity work, worship, gardening, even cleaning your house can be an expression of self. Have you given as much attention to these other areas? Those other acts can give you support as you rebuild your working world.

Opportunity knocks, and today the focus is restoring self through awareness. You have a doorway open to self insights that are not usually in question. Behind those question lies a vast wealth of personal empowerment that can serve you in your future. We will focus on releasing and restoring in part two of this series.

Estee Taschereau offers intuitive phone phone consultations focused on successful living and personal empowerment. Visit Mayan Daily Insights for interesting concepts for each day.