You might get canned, pink-slipped, shown the door, terminated, let go, downsized, or involuntarily separated.



Synonyms that mean the same thing - you're FIRED!

Getting fired can be devastating, humiliating or traumatic. After getting your notice you might be boiling mad, shocked, or uncontrollably crying.

Or relieved.

Here's something to think about. You're not alone. Lots of people have been fired. With the unemployment rate reaching 5.5 percent in May 2008, more and more employers are telling workers that they're out of work. For all kinds of reasons. At some point in her career, your boss might have been fired.

Even some very successful people have, at one time or another, been let go from a job. Some famous people who have been fired are:

- Before she was a best-selling author, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling lost her job as a secretary because she was caught writing stories when she was supposed to be working. She used her severance to begin the first Harry Potter book.

- CNN's Larry King: Says he was fired as a columnist for the Miami Herald in the 1970s for writing about too many of his friends.

- Walt Disney - Fired from a Kansas City newspaper for not being creative enough.

- Actor Robert Redford: Was caught sleeping in an oil tank instead of cleaning it.

So, what can you do if you get fired?

You have a wonderful opportunity to examine your life and career goals. Ask your Inner Wizard for guidance. If there were no expectations and money was not an issue what would you love to do? What would you do even if you weren't paid? Think big! What would you do if you could do anything!?

If you're Inner Critic chimes in with "Who are you kidding?" or "You're not _______ (smart, good, young, old, worthy, connected, etc.) enough" while you're dreaming of your ideal career thank him for 'sharing' and remind him that he no longer is in charge! It was probably his advice that put you in that job in the first place!

Once you have clarity on what it is you would love to do - go for it! Give it your focus, energy and attention. Detach from 'how' you think it has to happen. The 'how' gets figured out by the inspired ideas you get while you're actively thinking about who you will be, what you will have and what you will do in this new career.

Here's a story of how someone turned getting fired into an event that really boosted her career.

For actress Annabell Gurwitch, getting fired was a blessing in disguise. She was fired by director Woody Allen and turned that experience into a major windfall for herself.

At first, Annabell was devastated, humiliated and depressed. She then began to share her story about getting fired to others and people began to tell her about their experiences with getting fired. Lots of people shared their 'getting the ax' stories with Annabelle including Anne Meara, Felicity Huffman, Tim Allen and Ben Stein. And many of these stories were funny!

So funny that Annabelle published them in a book called "Fired! Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized and Dismissed". The book was widely received and became so popular that she traveled around the country interviewing people who have been fired. Through these interviews Annabelle learned that getting fired is only a moment in time. It doesn't define who you are. And if you look at getting fired as an opportunity to discover what you truly want to be, do and have in life - and then take action towards that goal - getting fired is the best thing that can happen to you!

Copyright (c) 2009 Valery Satterwhite