No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You!

A Book Is Born

On October 9, 2002, I was "set free" from my job of eleven years, an event more commonly known as getting laid off. Since I'm a nauseatingly positive person most of the time, it was quite natural for me to shine a positive light over losing my job as well. I now know that if it weren't for losing my job, I would not have been in such a vulnerable state of mind; had I not been in such a vulnerable state of mind, I would not have been open to seeing the moment as the start of a new chapter in my life. Ultimately, both worked hand in hand and allowed me to receive help and guidance, which Spirit immediately provided.

Even though I maintained a lighter heart about losing my job than would most people, I don't make light of the impact that getting laid off can have on someone's life. Losing a job can be emotionally as well as financially devastating. However, in my case, getting set free came neither as a shock nor a surprise because my industry had been in trouble for a couple of years.

For two years, I watched as that dreaded pink slip was given to many people around me, clients and co-workers alike. Prior to receiving my own pink slip, I had stated many times that if I had been my own employee, faced with the same economic conditions, I would have laid off myself. Therefore, in hindsight, I think I was as mentally prepared as I could have been.

I knew my time had come to get "pinked" when my boss asked to meet with me the next time I had appointments in her area (Silicon Valley). Even though my Southern California office was only an hour's flight away, my boss had never before called for a face-to-face meeting. Her sudden interest in a meeting alerted me to what was about to happen.

The meeting day arrived. I gingerly entered my boss's office, still holding on to the slightest hope that my intuition was wrong.

"Hi, Louise!" she said, unable to look me in the eye. "You look great. New suit? Lost weight?"

Now, being a normal female with a healthy ego, any other time I would have just accepted her compliments graciously and not thought anymore about it. However, her peppering of compliments only confirmed my suspicions.

"Gee, all of these compliments . . ." I replied. "Are you laying me off today?"

To say the least, my boss turned pale and appeared rather startled by my remark. Busted!

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