They say the only things in life that are guaranteed are change, death, and taxes (not in that order of course). As the late incredible Steve Jobs once said, “you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”

It was Friday evening before I was due to start my new role on Monday. I remember it vividly. I was sitting on my back table, with a glass of wine (or maybe it was champagne) in one hand, excited about starting my new role on Monday, but also feeling a bit 'odd'. I hadn't heard from my new employer for a few weeks and it was already after 5 pm only a few days before I was due to start there. I was feeling super uneasy. Normally, I would have spoken to the new employer the day before to confirm what time I was due to arrive and what I needed to bring (kind of like the first day of school haha). I had called them during the week but they never called me back.

5:30 pm my phone rang. It was the HR Department. She proceeded to tell me that they had some issues with me starting on Monday. I remember at the time not really understanding what she was saying. ‘Unfortunately, we have had a down-turn in business and we are not able to put you on.’

‘I’m sorry, what?!’ I was shocked. I cried. I remember feeling like I had nothing. I’d lost my confidence. I don’t even know why because I literally had done nothing wrong. I could have cried for so much longer. But then Monday rolled around and I called and emailed what felt like every agency in Sydney. I had looked at every single creative job on Seek, Indeed – all the platforms! I had lined up interviews for the following day and by Wednesday I had a freelance gig that ended up lasting for 9 months, then I went on to bigger and better things, meeting a sea of the most incredible people along the way.

“you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”

What I learned from this experience

There is absolutely no extra security in a full-time job:

Even when you sign an employment contract it’s not binding. Or even when you get the job who’s to say they won’t cave tomorrow or you’ll be made redundant? The recent pandemic was probably one of the biggest eye-openers for the modern-day business world. So why not pursue exactly what you want to do and what you feel is right for you.

The strength gained from feeling like you’ve hit rock bottom is indescribable:

Going from what felt like everything to what felt like ‘nothing’ all at once made me a stronger person. When Covid-19 rolled around and my then employer was forced to pull my hours back to 2-days per week in the back of my mind I felt like I was prepared. I’d once had ‘no job’ for a brief moment so having 2 days felt like I could do this. I then hunted and pushed my business like I had never before.

No one can ever take away your knowledge and experience:

This is actually the only thing you have and the only thing you can control.

Your response to a situation is more important than the situation itself:

I could have cried for days, feeling sorry for myself or harbouring the fact that this had happened to ‘poor me’ but that wasn’t going to solve the situation. Instead, I harnessed all that anguish and energy to get back out there – I was only unemployed for a total of 2 days.

This was one of the biggest and pivotal moments in my career:

At the time I didn’t know it but this situation allowed me to go on and do things that have helped me in the position I am in today, running my own business. Taking a recent leap into my business full-time wasn’t nearly as scary because of this. It was one of the best things that has happened to me.

It wasn’t me, it was them:

This was very hard for me to digest. As humans, often we look internally to blame ourselves and those little inside voices start playing on you, saying “Maybe, they just didn’t want to take me on” or worse “What if I wasn’t good enough.” These types of negative thoughts can be hard to shake. I found it extremely difficult not to over analyse. I went on to find out that this particular role was advertised again about 3–4 times across a single year (which is huge red flags for any business). I came to realise I was actually the lucky one, saved by not investing my time and energy into a business of this type.

“So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

I had a feeling that Friday afternoon that something wasn’t sitting right and my gut honestly knew it before I did. Every decision I now make, whether it’s big or small I honestly listen to my gut. It has never led me astray. I also learnt to take every situation in life as it comes. Often the struggles that happen right now, will be pennies in the future. We are all on a journey, through up’s and down’s, trial and things that will test us like never before but you have to trust that you’re stronger than what you think you are and you CAN actually handle any situation or challenge that comes your way. Moral of the story? Listen to your intuition, it’s got your back and you’ll be surprised with what you can achieve with what can sometimes be a leap of faith.

If you’ve had an experience like this or another situation where you surprised yourself at how strong you were to overcome it I’d love to hear from you.