The Friday (and one Monday) Chronicles: Part One: Getting Fired

Well, March 2024 is off to a rough start. Fridays March 1st, 8th, and 15th and Monday March 11th all sucked. Royally.

(Side note: I looked up "sucked" in the Thesaurus to see if I could find a better word. It's so overused and cliche, surely there's something better. "Sucked" in this context didn't even come up as a word. What the hell, dictionary.com!?)

So this is going to end up being a four-part series. I'm not entirely sure these four articles will have any feel-good, helpful advice when it's all said and done. They feel like they are going to be therapy sessions for me, so if that's not your cup of tea, I'll see you in four weeks. I hope at the very least, someone will relate and say, "That's how I feel/felt! I'm glad I'm not the only one." That will be a win in my book.

OK, enough stalling.

On Friday, March 1st, 2024, I was fired from my job. I had been working for a national industry redacted company with a branch in my area. Now I've worked corporate jobs before, and I know how to "work" corporate, if you get my drift. But the management at the location I was at did not corporate. At. All. So when I asked questions or asked for training, and no one locally offered any help, I went to corporate. Mistake one. Having a professional opinion and telling them what should technically be done were mistakes two and three. Not everything was on par, and they wanted a "yes, boss" employee. If you know me at all, you know that is NOT me.

So when I was let go, there was no shock in the slightest. But the reasoning they gave me was irksome. I "didn't fit in their culture". Not just doing what you say, knowing what I'm doing professionally and not being afraid to say it, and being a nice person doesn't fit in your culture? Well, sayonara, sister! Your complete and total loss. I am good at what I do, and you just lost a fabulous fucking employee.

Well, I say that NOW. Even though I wasn't surprised, it still came 100% out of left field and smacked me upside the head. My ego took a bigger hit that I expected. I called first friend, started telling him, (logically like a good Aquarian), what had happened, and I completely lost it. Went over to second friend's house soon after talking to first friend and lost it in her kitchen. Thank GOODNESS for good friends, to say the least. Love you both!

The next day I went to coffee with friends like I do every Saturday morning and went out to dinner for my daughter's birthday that night. I was a complete wreck most of the day otherwise. And then, first friend showed up that night and had the audacity to say, "Hey, why don't you start your own business? You'd be great at it!"

goddamit

I am busy feeling sorry for myself, thank you very much.

And, and, and another thing! shakes fist

For the record, second friend instantly agreed with first friend. So did third, fourth, fifth, and sixth friends, and my mom. Surely it was a conspiracy they concocted in the back rooms of Facebook Messenger. There is no doubt in my mind of that.

So I am starting my own accounting business. I am TERRIFIED. I am excited. I am nervous. I am overwhelmed. I am overrun with ideas. I am, am, am another thing!

Reading back over this, I have a few thoughts.

First, do not ever, ever, ever, let someone else dictate your worth to you. I cared wwwwwaaaaaaayyyyyy too much about what my former employer thought of me. What a waste of mental time and energy! You are worthy of love, success, happiness, contentment, healthy relationships, and, and, and all the things!

Second, find your tribe and lean into them when needed. Don't feel guilty about asking for help or that you might put them out if you ask to come over and cry or vent or collapse on their couch. If they are truly your people, they won't even hesitate. If you don't have that IRL, find them online. Some of my very best and closest friends I meet online, and am still talking to them years later.

Third, don't be afraid to think outside the box. I had never even considered starting a business until first friend said it. Now it's all I can think about, and I'm really excited to get it going. Maybe getting fired was the best thing that could've happened.

Finally, (logically like a good Aquarian), you'll get no rah-rah speech about how "it'll all be OK" from me. That's a platitude people say to get you to buy their self-help books and go to their seminars. I will promise you though, I am a safe space, and we'll cry and hug it out for as long as you need, without judgement. Then, we'll get up and start making plans to start kicking ass again, because that's what we do, day in and day out. Kick ASS.

Yeah, that last bit, I'm talking to myself. It's taken years, but I am starting to believe it.

Do you believe?

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