I Just Got Fired. And It Was Amazing

I have always been brutally honest. Completely transparent. Almost to a fault.

For the first time in my 26 years of life, I was fired from my job.

I'm writing this for people who may be in a similar situation. I want to let them know they're not alone.

Here is my story:

I have always felt very blessed. Growing up I excelled in school. High school was a dream-I was ASB president and Valedictorian. I was terrible at sports. Simply terrible, but I still tried. I attribute this to always having an incredibly intense work ethic. It was how I was raised and I am thankful. I was told I could achieve anything if I put in the work. Doing less didn't even occur to me. I've had a job since I was 15 years old and put myself through college.

When I graduated from Chico State in May 2011, I packed up my tiny Celica with all of my life belongings and moved to Los Angeles-where dreams come true. I was from a small farm town in Northern California and quite sheltered. But I had always been fiercely independent. I never let somebody tell me I couldn't do something. If someone told me no, I always asked why.

Flash forward to present day:

I had been in staffing over 2 years and been very successful. I had a competitor head hunt me for a sales role. I had never done solely sales and I enjoy a challenge. So I thought, "why not?" After a year of talking, I felt like it was the right choice and I accepted an offer. It was exciting to be head hunted, it was exciting to be wanted, and it was exciting to try something new.

For the first time in my life, I felt completely out of place. From day 1, something was off. It was clear right away that the person they hired was not meant for the role they assigned me to. I thought I would be going into a 6 month training period and assigned a mentor. When I got there I was handed a target list and told to go sell. I was very forthright about my lack of sales training before taking the role and I am not sure how wires were crossed. But I gave it my all. I worked as hard as I could every single day. I came to work with a smile on my face, ready to conquer the world. My activity was high. I was committed to the role 100%. But what I was doing took time. Time they did not have to spend.

On Wednesday afternoon, I was sat down in front of my boss and told I was no longer with the firm and that today was my last day. It stung. It hurt. I was slightly in shock. I was embarrassed. I'm still processing everything. But I also had been feeling something was off for a while. I truly felt like I was given up on. I was told I was not performing to standards and they needed to bring in someone who could.

For the first time in my professional career, I failed. I failed miserably. It wasn't until I got to my car (with my box full of belongings) that I realized this was the best thing that could have happened. I felt free. I had been really unhappy the past few months. I felt like an outsider and like I didn't belong. It was clearly not the right fit and I realize that now. I was fighting so hard for something that didn't make sense. I had such a fear of failing that giving up wasn't an option.

I have learned that a nice salary is less valuable than happiness. I learned that being at a company where you don't belong is toxic. I learned that a boss that supports you and believes in you is CRUCIAL to your success. And I learned that there are jobs that are not meant for me. What they needed and who I am were two different things.

When I got home on Wednesday, I bought a new laptop (mine was broken), updated my resume, and started applying to jobs immediately. I am fortunate enough to be starting a new position on Monday. It's just the way the universe worked. I was not expecting to start a new position so soon. But it could also be a sign that this was meant to be. I support myself 100% and have mountains of bills to pay. As we all do.

I am thrilled to rebound so quickly. I know it's rare. I am thankful. And I am humbled by this whole experience. At 26, you want to conquer the world. But if it's not the right company, with not the right manager, it is simply not worth it. And that's okay. I am not perfect. I have flaws. But I always want to improve and better myself.

I refuse to be told I'm not good enough. I refuse to be told I don't have what it takes to be successful.

Don't be afraid to take risks. Don't be afraid to fail.

I have no regrets. I've learned many valuable things at every company I've worked for. For anyone out there who may be in a similar situation: it's okay to get fired. I was so afraid to tell anyone, but we should embrace it. The fear of failure is the worst part. No one wants to be fired, but in the event that you are, you'll be okay. You have to believe in yourself and put the effort forth to do so. It's a very unique experience that is hard to describe. But ultimately, it's for the betterment of yourself.

**Update-I am thrilled so many people are seeing this article. I had no idea this would happen. It's a bit overwhelming! I wrote this so others could relate. Not everyone will. This is my story, Everyone has their own. And everyone's situation is different. I'm not perfect and neither is this article. Not every detail is written (as that would become a novel) and I didn't want to name names in a negative way. I just wanted to give an honest account of what it was like to be fired and how anyone can persevere when hit with adversity. If you believe in yourself, no one can stop you.**