Sometimes we need a little push and shove to jolt us out of our comfort zone and into a whole new world of opportunity. That’s the positive power of change. By Clelland Kruger
It began as a normal Monday. Birds chirping as the sun filtered through the louvres, waking me just before my alarm clamoured its urgent beeping.
I fell into my normal morning routine. Behind my desk a short while later, with my usual dose of upbeat enthusiasm, I was oblivious to monumental change lurking just two hours in my future. Life was about to happen. In droves.
I opened an email containing one unemotional sentence, “the company would like to meet with you regarding a section 189 consultation.” I knew exactly what that was. Section 189 is Labour Law code for ‘you are being retrenched’.
I could feel the blood move out of my extremities. My heart beat faster. My mouth went dry and my breath became shallow. Legs? Completely lame. I was overcome with nausea.
Less than two hours after arriving at work, I had been issued my letter, and aside from a few mandatory Human Resource compliance-conversations, I had been retrenched. Unemployed. Jobless. What a shock.
I held a senior position at my company – I was the Head of Learning and Development and I adored my job. My role was to grow, develop and influence people. Now this carpet had been pulled out from under me. I knew that finding another role like the one I had would be challenging.
I watched the reactions of my colleagues who faced the same fate as me. I saw a mixture of anger, bitterness, helplessness, panic, fear, denial and hurt.
Seeing their reactions, I made a purposeful decision: this retrenchment will not define me or my career. I would not give it power over me. I would not succumb to fear. I would instead choose how to react and I would be in control of my emotions.
When faced with threat, we operate from the amygdala, the almond-sized section of our primal brain that protects us by propelling us into a state of fight, flight or freeze. I know this. I have studied this, and knowledge is power.
I purposefully chose the more difficult route of dealing with the retrenchment through my pre-frontal cortex, the section of the brain responsible for rational thought. My mantra became ‘you cannot control what happens in life, but you always have control over how you respond.’
I decided not to waste any energy on negative emotions. I would channel every ounce of energy into connecting with my extensive professional network. I would not sit waiting for opportunities to come to me – I would create them for myself.
Within three weeks of being retrenched, I had established my own consultancy. A Coaching and Leadership Development company called ‘Optimising Potential’. I had a website up and running, a full product offering, a corporate identity and a social media presence.
Within four weeks of being retrenched, I signed up my first client. I had always been fearful of the unknown and the uncertainty of having my own business, but I had confronted those fears head on.
It is now eight weeks since that fateful Monday, and I have five clients. I have a long way to go to reach a modest turnover but I know this for sure: change happened, and I am moving on. I am making my own success.
A lot has changed and countless lessons have been learned. I realize more than ever that I am in control of my own destiny. I have changed my static professional network into an active resource that opens doors into this uncertain entrepreneurial world. Each day I continue to take control over my attitude and my response to life.
Of course there are moments that I feel scared. I get fearful about my new opportunities. I have moments when I feel angry, embittered, even cheated about the retrenchment. I am human and these emotions are normal – but I quickly drown these emotions with the positive energy that I channel through reflection, appreciation and practicing daily gratitude.
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