Letting Go

I can’t decide if I would rather be referred to as the MOG (mother of groom) or GM (groom’s mom). I think I am more of a GM than a MOG. Either way, in five months, our son is gettin’ hitched. Some people know this tidbit and have offered their wisdom:

“Oh, it’s soooooooo hard to let go” or

“Letting go of your kids sure is tough.” 

Or, “Things will never be the same.”

Or “Good luck with that -- I can’t stand my daughter-in-law.”

Or, “Get ready, you’ll be a mess!”

Or, “A son is a son till he takes him a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life.”

Holy cow, I thought I was supposed to be getting happier about this upcoming major life event, not growing more forlorn. Does anyone have any uplifting advice for this GM? Anyone? Anyone?

Anyway, back to letting go…

My client and I were speaking about the letting go concept the other day. He lost his job. And as we talked, I encouraged him to make a list of what he was losing.

I lost my company car.

I lost my laptop.

I lost my cell phone.

I lost my desk. 

I lost my expense account.

I lost my golf club membership.

I lost my health club pass.

I lost my health care insurance.

I lost my company credit card.

I lost my dental coverage.

I lost my swipe card.

I lost my pride. 

I lost my job title.

I lost my business cards.

And he continued on with his list.

Our conversation then turned to “So what did you get to keep?”  That was tougher to think about. The words did not flow so quickly. The pauses were longer between thoughts. 

What did I get to keep – now, that’s a tough question. 

Here are some things you get to keep when you lose your job:

You get to keep your knowledge.

You get to keep your skills.

You get to keep your talents.

You get to keep the gifts you have been given.

You get to keep your ability to generate revenue.

You get to keep your good name and stellar reputation.

You get to keep your close friends and confidantes.

You get to keep your best buddies from your former place of work.

You get to keep in touch with the people who have your back.

You get to keep your memories, preferably the good ones.

You get to keep your thoughtfulness.

You get to keep your mental capacity.

You get to keep your motivation and positive attitude.

You get to keep your inspiration and passion.

You get to keep your interests.

You get to keep your value.

You get to keep your drive and ambition.

You get to keep your ability to volunteer.

You get to keep your ability to think.

You get to keep your ability to read and write.

You get to keep your ability to help others succeed.

You get to keep your ability to give of your time, your interest.

You get to keep your ability to stay connected.

You get to keep your perseverance.

You get to keep your chance to start over.

You get to keep your track record of success.

You get to keep all that you have learned.

You get to keep all that makes you, you!

You get to keep your …………. (fill-in-the-blank).

Some think it’s holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it’s letting go.

– Sylvia Robinson

cross-posted billiesucherblog

 

Comments

[MainStreetHR]

Great blog! As someone who was recently laid off it is important to remember that we are not just what we do. Thank you for the reminder!
Jim Perkins
indeed.com/me/jperkinsphr

[billiesucher]

Well said "we are not just what we do." Thanks so much for your comment, plus feedback on the blog. There are several ebooks (free) here on this site you may also find of interest. Wishing you all the best in your career transition.