Crazy week. I lost a dear friend and I lost my job

[Uhwuchukwu53]

Its wild to think that so much can happen in one week. Someone that was near and dear to me passed form a fentanyl overdose, which is just so wild to me and i'm still in shock. Someone who I thought had their ish together too. On top of that I unfortunately was laid off from my job on Friday.

I have a very unexplainable peace in this time. I feel like most people might not feel the same way that I do about all of this. Of course I am crushed by the loss of my friend, Justin. The best way I can describe my relationship with him is also found in scripture in the bible, "Iron sharpens Iron" RIP Justin I know that he is with God in heaven now. He gave me more encouragement and spoke so much positivity into my life, more so than most of the people that i've known, and in such a short amount of time. May God be with his family and loved ones.

As far as my job, I knew it was coming so this did give me some time to prepare. As far as the future right now, it is very uncertain. What I will say though is that I do believe that it is a blessing in disguise. I really didn't love my job, I hated it actually. What tied me down was the money, of course. I have a family to provide for. But now I have applied for unemployment which will give me some time to figure out what I am going to do. Maybe start a business, or find a much better job with better pay. Certainly I will be selling some life insurance on the side, since I have my license to do so. I also have things that I can sell, so thats good. Its just a job. There a soooo many jobs out there, so I'm not worried about that.

Mostly I just want to do something meaningful, something that I love and care about. I'd love to do it with people that I also care about and can form deeper relationships with. That is what is most important in this life. Its not money, its not the job. Its about being happy and forming amazing relationships with people you care about. Hopefully, if you're lucky you can manage to kill two birds with one stone and find your dream job working alongside your best friends. I know its out there, and i'm searching for it.

Lots of emotions have been felt this week. Leaving a career of 7 years, and losing a dear friend all in the same week. It really puts things into perspective for you. Don't let your job define you because it can be replaced, also you're not promised tomorrow! Wild ride. But now is just the beginning of a new chapter, a new journey. And I am excited, I am ready, and I will be looking forward to whatever the future holds. Please wish me luck as I continue in my job search, and morn the loss of my friend.

Lets make every day count this year in 2023! Remember anything can change in an instant, and today you could take your last breath. So don't waste it. Thats all I have for now, but thank you in advance to anyone who read this. I welcome all thoughts and comments. Please be respectful. Thank you.

Cheers,

TREAD

What a tragedy, it's very painful mostly at this time in our nation loosing a job as well as dearest person is so painful, if your not smart enough it can push someone into square one, mostly now that getting a job is somehow difficult. But one thing I believe is that in all thing life is Paramount no matter what a man loss being alive is better because things can't still change in your favor and you have what you have loss double if it's property loss but life is not possible. My last word is laid it off from your heart to avoid emotional Truman.

[tread93]

Its almost a year to the day of originally posting this and I just want to say that there is a light at the end of the tunnels!!

One year ago I had so much happen so quickly - and it was a very long and testing roller coaster of a year 2023 was. Keeping up with all of my bills and providing for my family all while trying to reinvent myself basically and finding a new line of work that I could be proud of and make enough money with (that also wasn't too far away from home.)

I almost had the perfect segway into a new position making like 20% more, getting a company car and everything and the 8th interview in the lady misinterpreted something I said and I didn't get the job lol. That pretty much monopolized my time and the rest of my PTO because I was interviewing already when I made the OP still- maybe 4 or 5 interviews in so after I didn't get that after I was so sure that I was going to land it I basically took a month and a half off to just breathe and plan my next move, I was looking for new jobs the whole time. I went on to strike a deal with a fellow hobbyist "friend" who had a gold and silver coin business that I worked in for a time before but I was never willing to fully quit my job and go in on it full time. This was something that I am truly passionate and so I had the chance to work in that area for nearly 5 months where I learned so much- I had the chance to familiarize myself with AI there as he had it completely tethered to his "backend" systems. I soaked it all in and had a very great time but the truth is that working for this man was truly very stressful and not very fun. He was the biggest micromanager ever and they monopolized my time. When I needed to take time off even if it was important they didn't really care about me or my family it was all just about the money lol pun intended. They also didn't have any benefits what so ever. I was pretty much dying to get out of there after they were literally crushing my spirit,  I did an amazing job there too and I worked my ass off  and my sales were through the roof, it was just in the end there we didn't exactly part as I would have hoped. Its a long story, but in the end the important thing is that I did what was best for me and my family. The best for me was finding yet another job, this time through a friend with a recommendation and for a very reputable company. They sent me out to the Midwest for training for a week, which was awesome! I made a lot of great friends along the way and after the training it was evident that this company truly cared about their employees and they had amazing benefits and everything! I went in there and broke the sales record in my second week for the fastest sale. I was there for a total of 3 months when I realized that I just hated it and had to find something better, something more aligned with my interests. That is when an opportunity literally landed in my lap with a phone call for a tech company that I had a keen interest in before and had actually looked at a position for 3 years prior. Well it turned out opporunity comes knocking like it usually does and so I ended up taking their interview offer and landing the job. Taking that positon back in the fall was a game changer for me! The benefits are the best I have ever had! I have the best boss and the best flexibility that I have ever had in a job. I have been working there now since then and I have to say that I really did find what I was looking for. I am now doing something I care about, making a difference, and I am even doing it alongside some of my family and even my friends now. I somehow managed to find exactly what I was looking for it seems, and I am so grateful to God for all that I have and all that he has shown me in the past year, especially the hard times because it has made me the person that I am!

Life really is incredible and if there is anything that it has taught me in the last 12 months it is this: Things are never as they appear, always read the fine print & ask all the questions you think of even if they sound stupid, you'll be thankful you had asked them and gained the clarity and fully understood. Don't every trust anyone for their word, make sure you have an agreement in writing, even if its a literal piece of paper you have them sign with some small description of contract. People always want to see a return on their investment but you have to watch out for signs of greed, aurgumentative personalities ( I mean always have to be right- egotistical), and micromanagerial tactics that are way over the top. If you ever find yourself in a situation that you are dealing with people like this and they are your boss - just get the heck out of there and find something better.) Some people in your life are only there because of something you share in common, whether that be a certain habit or a certain place you hang around with the same people etc etc. Sometimes you just have to break yourself free from situations and people like this because its most likely keeping you from growth by maintaining a constant state of either comfort of familiarity. In the pursuit of taking something you are passionate about and trying to turn this into a business first make sure that you consider that you may become so consumed with the end result after you turn your passion into a business that you may start to lose the passion for it in the first place, which to me doesn't seem worth it. Remove yourselves from such situations and allow yourself to breathe, find a better way that you can turn your passions into more lucrative opportunities on your own terms and don't let anyone hinder your growth in this stage.  I have learned that family is always the most important and they will always be there for you to lean on no matter what. They got through all of these hardships with me and as a result we are so much stronger! Thank you all for keeping up with this and for sharing your thoughts, I means a lot. I am in such a better place now and I am thankful for all that God has given me.

[kaka_Shipai]

Sorry to hear about the challenging week you've had. Losing a friend and facing a job loss is never easy. Your perspective on finding meaning and happiness is admirable. Wishing you strength as you navigate these changes and embark on a new journey.