Why Losing Your Job Can Be Good For You

I just watched the Steve Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford from 2005:




One of the comments Steve makes is how when he got fired from Apple, it was a blessing in disguise. He points out at 7:15 "I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter into one of the most creative periods of my life. During the next five years I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, and I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance, and Lorene and I have a wonderful family together."

Did you lose your job recently? During a recession or difficult time in an industry, many people struggling with losing a job, as companies downsize their employee payroll to make ends meet. You may be one of them. Then again, entire companies go out of business during those times. At other times, the position you occupied may not have offered the right fit you and your growth. Or, perhaps, you did not deliver up to your hiring process courtship promises. Whichever, don't fret, because that job is now your PAST. What's important is what you do TODAY and in THE FUTURE.

If you are doing what you LOVE, you will find a way to SUCCEED. Your work fills a large part of your life. So, do what is great work. Steve continues "the only way to do great work is to LOVE what you do" and encourages the graduates to keep looking, don't settle. I believe what we do must also provide HIGH VALUE to others. So, what do you do that you love and that produces high value to other people?

If you're reading this, you've most likely traveled far from graduation. You're perhaps thinking "what now?" Well, if you've had a great idea inside you, but have been sitting on the fence, wondering when is the right time to launch that idea into a business, perhaps now is that time. I made a similar choice back in 2001, when I left EMC2 and turned down a job with Hewlett-Packard that promised $18K a month to make $0 with AspireNow, my first company. It was a costly decision, but in the end, I'm happier, and everything I am doing now came from that leap of faith, and essentially losing that job opportunity then. AspireNow continues to produce passive income on a monthly basis, and ARRiiVE Business Solutions, which launched out of AspireNow, is now providing exciting business launch services to terrific clients.

Recently, I relaunched ARRiiVE Business Solutions as a full-time endeavor. This came from a "job" turning from a job into a consulting assignment. Now, I am free to do as I wish, but also still working with my previous company to help them continue to launch their software. However, this turn of events also freed me to help launch several new amazing and promising companies.

What can you do to turn a "lemon" of a job situation into "lemonade" in your life?

If you need help launching your business, I suggest you work with a coach or business launch specialist who has been there, done that, and been through the challenges of failure and success. Find someone with whom you identify, and start building a team. Believe in your dream, seize upon the hope of what you love the most, surround yourself with other successful people, and then go for it with all you've got within you!
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ARRiiVE Business Solutions offers business development coaching, "acting" VP of Business Development/Sales, business launch creative marketing, and sales training services. To learn more call 805-459-6939 for an initial discussion about how I might help you with your endeavor, or email info (at) ARRiiVE (dot) com.
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