I Lost My Job and I Am 40 + Years Old!

I Lost My Job and I Am 40 + Years Old!

by William Smith

Getting fired or downsized, unfortunately, can happen to the best of us.  Circumstances could be so bad that you may actually quit a job.

In life, one doesn’t plan on being in these situations but it just happens. It can happen even when it’s not your fault. Sometimes, there is a personality conflict between yourself and your boss. You have always been loved by your past supervisors, but this one particular boss meets you and instantly hates you the first day you meet him. I believe it because it happened to me once in a position I held.

Also, what you thought the job was going to be like differs in reality. You say, what the heck was I thinking?

Thirdly, you could have made some mistakes and you screwed up . Don’t dwell on it. Whatever happen, happened.. and just move forward .

Moreover,  you could be a victim of age discrimination .  A company wants to bring a younger person on because you may not fit the image any longer. Try to document any age discrimination to build a case. Age discrimination starts according to the law at age 40. Experts estimate that at least 250,000 workers are illegally or unjustly fired (wrongful termination) each year and that’s not counting those that were justifiably terminated.

Finally, you could be a victim of pay discrimination which is being discriminated because of your salary is too high and the company wants to cut costs and bring a younger person in .Your 40 + years old, you achieved most likely the highest salary in your area of expertise.  You have been a target of budget cuts and it is legal to do so!

Regardless of the circumstances, where do you go from here?

Besides applying for unemployment benefits ( if eligible)  , I need you to do two things:

• Cut your expenses. Control your spending so you have more of a secure environment for you to plan the rest of your life. If you control your spending , you won’t go into panic mode and take the first job you see. You will have time to reflect on what you want to do for the remainder of your life.

• Stop Beating yourself up! Don’t dwell on it. Control your FEAR and ANXIETY! You must get a grasp on it so you can move and age forward in life. I  know it is painful. Your stomach is in knots. You probably never were unemployed before. You played by the rules. Also, the stigma of being let go is part of your world now.  It hurts but beating yourself up will not get you to the next level.

Think of this:

Losing your job could be a way out of the usual ” zombie lifestyle” routine and be a breakout to a new you . There is a new path for you and you need to find it. It sounds so easy and know it  isn’t . You need to pause for a moment and really think about this new path. You need to concentrate and hunger for it. Wanting it is not enough.  It could change your life for the better.

Remember when you were a child and you Dreamed Big Things and no one told you that you were crazy. You were encouraged ! And the funny thing was…. Some of those dreams became reality for you. You can do the same thing today…but your focus has to be there. As adults we lose focus, we have family distractions, mortgages to pay, Car notes to pay, etc. Focusing has to happen first in order for you to grow. You must make time for yourself. If you don’t think of you , who will? No matter how dire or extreme your situation is, you must take steps to understand yourself and age forward in life. I do not want to see you wake up the next morning , and not have grown as a person.

Write down your dreams and make a list of what you would love to do before distractions in life said no to you .  Don’t think of what someone else thinks what you should  do, but what you should do .  One’s true self can fully emerge with these exercises and it is time for you to do it. Set an amount of time on a daily or weekly basis of things that excite you . Really concentrate. Think of employers that mirror those things that excite you and that align with your passion .  Get some volunteer work experience in , so it will be easy for you to transition and get experience.

Live in the present. You must stop thinking of the past and  what recently occurred to you . There is a grieving process.  You must release those negative emotions , such as anger and sadness so you can move forward and move to a new chapter in your life.  If you hold onto those negative emotions, it will hold you back to greater things and you will never fully grow.

Harness the power of LinkedIn to network and gain some insights into new career paths and maximize yourself for new opportunities. 

Inspiring Quotes:

“I found every single successful person I’ve ever spoken to had a turning point. The turning point was when they made a clear, specific unequivocal decision that they were not going to live like this anymore; they were going to achieve success. Some people make that decision at 15 and some people make it at 50,and most people never make it all.” ~Brian Tracy~

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – E.E. Cummings “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.

Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

I hope this article has helped you in a small way. Please enter any comments or suggestions that you have. I encourage dialogue on this subject because I know it affects the core of your inner self in such a profound way.