Losing your job often comes as a massive shock, even though most of us are aware that it’s a danger which is always lurking in the shadows, no matter how well you perform the job or how long you’ve been doing it. Being made redundant can literally turn your whole life upside down. You find yourself suddenly removed from the routine, workplace and colleagues that have been a regular feature in your life, perhaps for many years. That’s aside from the financial worry that so frequently accompanies this huge change in your circumstances.
Unfortunately, redundancy is a fact of modern life, as companies seem constantly to shed staff in an attempt to stay competitive. But is it possible that it can be a blessing in disguise for some? Being made redundant forces you to re-evaluate your life and consider your future in a whole new way. Maybe you’ve quietly harboured dreams of breaking free of the 9 to 5 but you couldn’t justify giving up your regular salary and pension benefits? Being made redundant can help you to cast off the shackles which were holding you back from pursuing new ideas because of fear of the unknown or of failure. The rug’s already been pulled out from under your feet, so what have you got to lose? Importantly, a financial settlement for your redundancy can also supply the capital which may have been a bar to starting a venture of your own.
Though it may come at you out of the blue, redundancy can give you the opportunity to make fresh choices in life, whether that means going travelling, setting up your own business, or retraining for a completely different career.
NLP, or Neuro Linguistic Programming, can help anyone move forward in their career, but can be particularly useful if you are looking to make big changes in your life. It allows you to view the world differently, identify new opportunities and communicate better. NLP deals with how our minds take in and process information, how we make decisions and how we interact with others. Many of us have limiting beliefs which stop us from doing the things we are capable of achieving. NLP helps us to put those limiting beliefs to one side and become more positive. It’s seen by its supporters as a powerful development tool which can improve communication skills and thought processes on a personal and professional level.
Just 2 weeks after attending her first course in NLP, Pip Thomas of UK-based firm Edge NLP was made redundant: you can read about Pip’s redundancy story here. It is a sad fact that one in seven UK workers have been made redundant since the economic downturn. She decided to see the positive side and was determined to use the skills she had learned in her course to set up a new business offering NLP advice and training to others.
Pip says “I would never have dared to set up my own business if I hadn’t been made redundant. I came out of the NLP course full of inspiration and was able to put the skills that I learnt to good use when I was made redundant.”
For Pip, her NLP training came at a crucial point in her life when she was in a position to maximise its benefits. Pip now tutors people who have been made redundant and finds that NLP really resonates with them. Her students use the practices they learn from her to help them review their objectives in life as well as to embed new skills and behaviours which can equip them to not just deal with, but make the most of, the situation they find themselves in.
For some, redundancy can bring about positive changes. Whatever you decide to use redundancy as a catalyst for, her story is proof that although it does inevitably bring about major changes, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be for the better.
