Did you ever have one of those days where you woke up thinking that everything was just fine, only to have something totally unexpected happen that changed your life forever? Well, it happens to people all the time. It happened to someone very close to me a couple of months ago. He went in to work one morning thinking that everything was business as usual and was unexpectedly fired from his job, leaving him unable to provide for his family.

At first he was frantically looking for work around town, willing to take anything to keep his family afloat. Unfortunately, he was told time and again that he was overqualified. He felt terrible for having put his wife in the position of being sole provider for the family. He also felt blindsided and betrayed by his employer for having decided to “take the company in a different direction” and telling him that he would not be part of the new structure. When he was let go, his employer had even told him that he was “doing him a favor.”

Ok, so you may be wondering what this has to do with therapy. Well, give me a minute. The guy I’m taking about did something he had never done before. He decided to believe what his ex-boss had said about doing him a favor. He realized that if he gave in to fear and worry and anxiety, he was done for. His wife started to believe it, too. She didn’t put any pressure on him or allow herself to become resentful or afraid. Together they started to think outside the box about employment opportunities. They realized that this might be the perfect time for him to start his own business. It was a dream of his from a long time ago, one that he had put on hold while he focused on other things.

Not long after they came to that realization, this same fellow received a phone call from a friend he had talked with before about starting a business.  He too had unexpectedly been fired from his job. They laughed at their “good fortune” and set about making plans for global domination. They created a business plan. They filed their articles of incorporation and acquired a tax ID number. Soon they had a salesman on board. Orders started pouring in. Then, out of nowhere he got a phone call…

It was an old and dear friend from his early days in the business. She had called to offer him the opportunity of a lifetime. She now worked for the top business in the industry and was in a position to hire anyone she chose. He was the only person she was considering for the job. Now he had quite a decision to make…he had gone from having the carpet ripped out from under him to someone who had real choices.

The point of the story is that this man had one of the most feared situations in life happen to him. In his past he may have panicked. He could have easily fallen into depression and hopelessness. He might have become desperate and settled for anything that came his way. However, this story has a happy ending…a beginning, all thanks to resiliency. Surely this person I’m talking about has been around the block a few times. Time and experience and an excellent support system have helped him to be able to put things into perspective.

Have there been times in your life when you wish you had been able to stare into the abyss and not blink? Maybe you’re at a point in your life right now where you are faced with a difficult situation. Perhaps you find yourself backed against the wall, with no options. Or, maybe you just need somebody to help you think through your options and work on increasing your positive coping skills. Please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services today at 407-443-8862 to schedule an appointment with one of our Orlando mental health counselors.