Why Being Laid Off was the Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me

I haven’t been completely honest with you guys the last few months.

At the end of 2017, I mentioned here that one of my biggest career blessings in disguise occurred and that it was so big I had to put a separate post together for you.

WELL, that thing I wanted to share was that I was laid off from my full-time marketing job.

And for some reason, I was too ashamed to write those words. I felt like it was something to be embarrassed about. I didn’t want people to know I was laid off.

After time passed, and I had some time to process over the months that followed the awful news, I began to realize that being laid off was the best thing that had ever happened to me in my professional career.

The biggest blessing in disguise God had given me to-date.

Being Laid Off

I was working at an Italian clothing brand in Santa Monica at their only US brick-and-mortar store. My title was the Digital Marketing Director, and I worked about 1 mile away from my apartment and the beach. I thought I was living the dream.

But the truth was, I was working in a tiny loft, myself and an intern, and my career was stagnant. The store location was a money drainer for the company because of its terrible location, and the brand was not thriving in LA like it was in Europe. I knew it was coming, but the pain I felt on that fateful morning after I hung up my Skype call was something I had never experienced before.

Sure, I saw it coming. But now what?

True to form, I immediately burst into tears and called my mom. She talked me through it and gave me tactical action items to work on that day. I would get through this.

Luckily, Brennan was prepared that morning for anything. He was already awake (the Skype call was at 7 am due to the time differences), having coffee, and waiting for the news.

I came out of the room in tears; I was terrified, sad, mad, and so confused.

He held me and let me cry for about 30 minutes, and then proceeded to turn the worst morning into one of the best days we’ve ever had.

We went to the pumpkin patch, found a nursery to buy cacti, visited the Ronald Reagan museum to see the Titanic exhibit and have lunch, we explored Calamigos ranch (semi by accident), enjoyed a glass of wine at Malibu Farms, had dinner during the sunset at a beachside taco shop along PCH, and then finished the evening with a movie.

The next day was when panic began to set in.

I was given 1.5 weeks notice with no severance. The holidays were right around the corner, we had recently moved into our new apartment, and I had no savings account, credit card debt, and student loan debt. Oh boy.

First things first, I deferred my student loan. I had always been so resistant to this concept, but I can assure you that it is one of the best things to do when you’re trying to save money.

I initially refused to apply for unemployment because again, I was too ashamed, but LISTEN UP!!!!! This is SO IMPORTANT to do right away. When all was said and done, I only received 2 unemployment payments in 2 months because I put it off for so long. But that’s what we pay taxes for. It’s your right to use that unemployment money. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Apply right away.

If you had benefits at work, make sure to look into healthcare right away.

Luckily I got laid-off right around open-enrollment, so I was able to select an affordable healthcare plan through covered California. I recently had heard about Oscar insurance, and it was amazing! It was clearly designed with the Millennial in mind. There’s an app, their verbiage is easy to understand, and it’s very user friendly.

Next, I told my recruiter it was go-time. We had already been talking about my next step, but I made it known that I was officially on the hunt.

And in between job interviews, I opened my email and started to hustle.

Which leads me to the *life-changing* aspect of this time in my life.

When I got laid off, I started to mentally prep myself about racking up credit card debt. I didn’t have a plan B, I had no savings. Up until this point I had lived paycheck to paycheck. And not because I was using my money to pay off debt; I don’t even know WHAT I was using it for to be honest! I had nothing to show for my hard earned money except for an excess of material items and no game plan.

This was the rainy day that my mom had told me to plan for. It was here, and I wasn’t ready.

The first thing that being laid off taught me is that saving money is not suggested,
it’s REQUIRED.

It is so crucial as an adult to take care of yourself. And that does not mean buying the designer bag. It means putting as much money away as you can first, and then evaluate what you’d like to spend your money on.

I thought to myself, “it’s fine if you rack up debt if you have to, you have 2 credit cards…you can pay rent with them if it comes to that.”

I’m happy to report that this did NOT happen, and I actually haven’t depended on my credit card once since I got laid off.

Instead, I only spent money on necessary things. Things that I needed to survive.

New shirt? Don’t need it. Eating out? Not necessary. Multiple drinks at a bar? Don’t need the hangover anyways.

Slowly but surely I began to see my monthly expenses decrease.

Simultaneously, I was working as hard as I possibly could to make the only thing I had left be successful.

My blog.

This is when I realized that my time WAS my money now.

If I was going to work for you, you had to help me pay my bills. Otherwise I wasn’t going to help you grow your business.

It was when I was unemployed that I realized my ability to stand firm in my worth. I began turning down unpaid offers, and refusing to do anything below my minimum rate.

And you know what? It worked.

I earned the same amount of revenue while being unemployed in November and December that I earned monthly at my past full-time job.

All on my own.

WHAT?!

HOW?!

WHO?!

WHAAAAT?!

YES.

That was when I realized I could do this blog thing full time.

But naturally, fear and self-doubt set in. I found another job to jump to, and told myself that this was going to be the best one yet. This was where I would be for years to come. ( LOLLLLLL )

Everyday that passed, I realized that all I could think about was doing what I am most passionate about. Blogging, content creating, collaborating with brands I believe in, and being my own boss.

I began to save as much money as humanly possible.

My student loans were still on deferment and I was earning a great additional revenue with my blog.

After having no savings whatsoever up until this point, it was like a switch was flipped within me. I was able to put away 4 months worth of bills into savings in 6 months. I became obsessed with transferring a majority of my paycheck into my savings account.

When my savings account began to grow, that was when I had my second realization.

I’m finally ready to do this blog thing full time. 

My aforementioned full-time job was a contract-to-hire position, and if you read my last post then you could probably gather why it didn’t continue. The second blessing-in-disguise that I was given.

In mid-June, my time at this last position ended, and it was go-time. But this time I was elated. I could not WAIT to walk through those doors and never look back.

I was prepared. Mentally, emotionally, and financially.

And I owe it all to being so unprepared the first time around.

Everything happens for a reason. Even if it feels like the end of the world, I PROMISE YOU, it’s actually the start of something incredible.

Each chapter is vital to your story, and speaking from experience, the hardest ones are the chapters that shape you and change you as a person.

If I had never been laid off, I still probably wouldn’t have a healthy savings account. I wouldn’t have a plan B, I wouldn’t be blogging full-time.

It’s okay to be scared, but make sure you embrace it and feel the change
happening within you.

And don’t be ashamed!!!!!!! Your story is so beautiful, no matter how bad it may feel. I am now SO THANKFUL that I got laid off, and it feels so good to share it here.

If you are going through a similar situation, please feel free to email me! I have so many little nuggets of advice on this topic but don’t want to ramble 😉

HAPPY SATURDAY!!!!!

Romper, c/o VICI (wearing size small)