Are you doing Job’s job?

Here is an interesting piece of information: I looked up the meaning of the word “job” in the dictionary. The meanings included “task, chore, difficulty, problem, trouble, hard time”.

This reminded me of a biblical figure called Job, whose name means “persecuted, afflicted, adversity”.

Is there some message in there? I wonder.

Have you been made redundant recently? It is interesting how such an experience impacts not only on you, but also on your colleagues who are not made redundant.

I have been made redundant three times in my career. The first time was a horrible experience, because I had no idea how to deal with it and my colleagues did not even want to talk to me – as if I had some disease that they would pick up just from being in my presence.

Of course I asked myself what I had done wrong, because at the time I had no knowledge of the meaning of life experiences and how we live a pre-planned blueprint. I only realized much later how much I gained from the experience and how it had turned me into a better, stronger person.

I also realized much later what the term “survivor guilt” means, and that my colleagues suffered from survivor guilt when I was let go. This was especially the case with those that had less qualifications and experience than me, especially where their work performance was not up to standard. They knew that they should have been made redundant rather than me, and they could not look me in the eye.

The second time I was made redundant was a far less terrifying experience for me. By then I knew about the Universe providing “road signs” and I focused on identifying and interpreting the relevant incidents that brought me where I had to be. Of course my colleagues at the time did not have access to the same knowledge, and their survivor guilt was painfully obvious. I actually enjoyed the experience, if I may say so – that was the experience of me finding my new path. I did not enjoy seeing my colleagues suffer like Job in their own little cages. They are still in those cages, still not ready to escape.

My third experience of being made redundant was very amicable and everyone gained from it. By then I understood that we live in cycles, and that I had come to the natural end of a cycle. My colleagues at the time were also quite mature and that made the whole experience a pleasant and amicable one, and of course another major turning point in my life.

All these experiences have prepared me for moving away from being a Job in a job, and following my heart.

I now understand that the people who are made redundant are the “chosen” for want of a better word. They are the ones who are ready to enter the next cycle in their lives. They are the ones who need a little push so that they can get to living in tune with their heart.

Being made redundant can be quite stressful. If you approach it from the point of view of being a victim, the stress can make you sick.

However, if you approach the experience as an adventure, and you trust and open your eyes to all the opportunities that come your way, redundancy can be one of the most enriching experiences in your life. The stress (which goes with all change in life) will give you an adrenaline rush that cannot be compared with anything on earth.

There is a new energy being ushered into our consciousness. Redundancy is one of the ways in which we are nudged into self-discovery. Are you running away kicking and screaming and blaming everyone in sight? Or do you appreciate the opportunity that you are being given to look deep inside yourself and make one pleasant discovery after the other?

If you are one of those that have not been made redundant yet, how do you deal with it? Do you point fingers and count your blessings because you still have a job? Or do you read the roadmaps and prepare yourself for when your turn comes, so that you can embrace it and love every moment of it? Because your turn will come.