In the past, I was fired from a pharmaceutical company where I worked as a marketing manager. After the birth of my second son, I wanted to work four days a week, something that can be done in Belgium where I’m from. Instead, I got fired the day that I asked. It had nothing to do with my skills, but it had everything to do with the fact that they wanted to send a message to the company that working part-time was not acceptable.

Big Mistakes After Being Fired or Quitting Your Job

• Immediately Applying for a New Job

My first big mistake happened when I immediately applied for a new job. I applied for a new job without thinking about what I really wanted. I just applied for a similar job in another company. When you get fired or when you quit your job, I believe you should take the time to get your energy back first before setting out on your next adventure.

• Not Listening to Your Feelings and Emotions

The second big mistake I made was not listening to my emotions. I was scared, angry, and fearful and instead of dealing with the emotions at hand I went straight into action to get the next new job. I in the end did not receive that position and knew that I needed to get my energy level back up again and change my mindset before applying for another job.

What Can You Do?

• Understand Your Values and Working Through Your Emotions

Finding your values for yourself and your career is very important. Understanding my values of caring about my family and wanting a job where I could make a difference helped me get into my next major career! I was contacted by a headhunter for a marketing job at an educational publishing company. This job was the best decision I have ever made as later I would move up to become the CEO of the company!

If you just got fired or quit your job, what will make all the difference for you before finding that new job is to work through how you feel. Listen and accept your emotions and then ask yourself what do you truly and deeply care about? What are your values? When you know that, looking for a job becomes much easier, and the job might even present itself.

When Is It the Right Time to Leave?

After taking the role of CEO, I was able to transform the organization and lead it with my heart. After successfully doing this, it was time for me to change directions, it was time I realized for me to quit. I wanted to go on to help other organizations and leaders reach this meaningful life and transform their organizations and lead in a whole new way.

After listening and accepting my emotions, I knew still what my purpose was. I wanted to help leaders build meaningful lives and organizations, but I didn’t know how. What I decided to do after trying a number of different paths, was to launch my own online business where I can help fulfill my purpose!

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