Laid Off To Level Up

Layoffs are happening left and right. They seem to be unavoidable, but we’re not here to focus on the negative; we’re here to discuss how to create opportunity from this situation. Precisely, how to level up.

Your girl was recently laid off from her job, and honestly, it hurt. First things first, if you’ve been laid off, it’s okay to be upset and feel heavy emotions; release them. After that, stand firmly, believing that better is on the way because it is! 

This is my current state, and during this process, I am documenting the journey and calling it the Laid Off To Level Up: Saddie To Baddie Series. 

After months of being in my bag about it (a saddie), I decided no more moping around; it’s time to get it together. Documenting the journey holds me accountable not only to myself but to others. It’s also allowing me to develop more content, thus supporting my desire to grow my brand and support people that are also going through their own layoff to level up journey. 

Here are Four Tips to Help Support You on Your Layoff to Level-up Journey:

Work on growing your faith consistently every single day.

If you don’t have faith, you don’t have anything. Sometimes, while we’re “going through the storm”, we don’t realize we’re growing through it; this is key for your elevation to the next season in life. Some ways to grow your faith are through prayer, affirmations journals, and watching people’s stories of how they went from nothing to something.‍

Document the journey.

‍It doesn’t have to be for the public but for yourself. Journaling will allow you to have entries to reflect on once this storm has passed. It also allows you to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper. This way, it’s not taking up any more mental real estate. Should you choose to go public, people appreciate vulnerability and the right people will lean into your story by you sharing your truth.

Upskill.

If there’s something you’ve always wanted to learn or a skill you learned that you haven’t used in a while (let’s say web development), get those wheels turning. If you’re upskilling, you’re growing and if you’re growing you will be attracting new and better opportunities. While you have more time, you should be using it to upskill or focus on side projects such as building your website or portfolio. Here are some places to acquire new skills: Coursera, Codecademy, Linkedin Learning, Youtube, Masterclass, Pluralsight and Skillshare.

Get your finances right.

This might be the scariest of all but it’s time to face the truth. You can’t Uber Eats everyday like you used to. You can’t go out every weekend for drinks. Sit down and plan out a strategy for what the following month will look like. For me, this looks like budgeting and documenting every penny I’ve been spending. Also, using my credit card to get points and/or cashback back and paying them off directly after. In addition, figuring out ways you can make money outside of a full-time job is important. For me, it’s looked like book sales, paid speaking engagements and considering side jobs like working at a restaurant. Make sure you plan out a strategy to keep you financially afloat. Figure out the minimum number needed to get by each month and move from there. Remember this situation is temporary and whatever you do for the time being will not be your forever job. 

I hope these tips help you as you go through your layoff to level up journey. A mantra that’s kept me going is the storm can only last but so long before the sunshine comes. Keep this in mind as your progress forward. Sending you positive vibes!