Christine Till - Fired at Fifty: Stop Looking for Work and Discover What You Were Meant to Do

FIRED AT FIFTY

FIRED AT FIFTY

Stop Looking For Work And Discover What You Were Meant To Do

Christine Till

First Published in Canada 2013 by Influence Publishing

Copyright Christine Till

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Cover design and layout: Greg Salisbury

Author photo: Carlos Taylhardat

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of non-fiction. The information is of a general nature to help you on the subject of business. Readers of this publication agree that neither Christine Till, nor her publisher will be held responsible or liable for damages that may be alleged or resulting directly or indirectly from their use of this publication. All external links are provided as a resource only and are not guaranteed to remain active for any length of time. Neither the publisher nor the author can be held accountable for the information provided by, or actions resulting from accessing these resources.

For Rodger
Who supported me and my dream in more ways than one.

For Julie
Who spent many hours helping me with the editing and publishing of this book.

Thank you both for believing in me.

Acknowledgements

I truly believe that people come into our lives at certain times for a reason. As I have watched my book unfold and the events in my life leading up to it, I realize that Fired at Fifty would never have become a reality if it were not for these special people in my life.

When I decided to write my book I thought I knew what I was doing and now I am so pleased that I met Julie Salisbury, my publisher with Influence Publishing. She demonstrated to me the importance of having a publisher. I would never have come this far without her. I feel that because of Julie I now have a marketable product and a platform for my business that will help many people who are fired at fifty.

Many thanks to all my contributors. You have selflessly shared some of your most personal thoughts and experiences. Your submissions have helped make my book what it is today. I love your stories! I know that my readers will enjoy them too.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who were my guests on my podcast show. Each and every one of you has had an impact on my life in some way. I feel like each of you has been my own personal coach while we were together chatting over Skype about your business and why you do what you do, and how you do what you do. You probably did not realize at the time how much of an impact you have been in my life. You have all helped me to see that I could be so much better than I thought I could be. You inspired me to reach to new heights and stretch beyond what I could ever have dreamed.

Janet Love Morrison, my Editor, taught me that there is a process to everything, even writing a book.

There are so many people who have shown me their love and how much they care for me, especially in these last two years. They have helped me have the confidence and belief in myself that I needed to complete my dream of becoming a published author. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize that this is not a pipe dream. This is real and all these people really do care about me. I want them to know that I care about them too.

It is my sincere desire that the words I have shared with you, my reader, in Fired at Fifty will inspire you to not only help yourself find out what you were meant to do and also find out who you were meant to be.

Love & Blessings,

Christine E. Till

The Marketing Mentress

Epigraph

When you do the things that most people wont do, when you dont feel like doing them, you will have the things that most people wont have.

Unknown

Before success comes in any mans life, hes sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and the most logical thing to do is to quit. Thats exactly what the majority of men do.

Napoleon Hill

Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have.

Dale Carnegie

Chapter One

Failure

On January 4, 2011, I walked into my office looking forward to a new year of sales and marketing cheerfully greeting everyone with my usual, Happy Wednesday! wondering why everyone was a little reserved. It was as though everyone knew something I didnt know.

Then my boss invited me to step into the boardroom - I didnt even have my coat off yet. In the boardroom my boss informed me that I was the hardest working person he had ever known and he had kept me on because of my work ethic. Little did he know that I was burning out trying to build up his company. He said my services werent needed any longer. Sales hadnt improved significantly over the past two years and he had hit his bottom line. As I sat and listened, I remembered I was the eighth in a long line of sales people who had previously worked for his company. It seemed when sales didnt improve within six to eight months: they were let go and a new sales person was hired.

In the time I spent working for him I recognized the fact that there was a lot of money invested in training all these people: one only has to do the math. Didnt he know the best salesperson in the company should be him - the owner? A good boss should be the one who delegates sales. If he is his own best salesman, he could train his staff the way he believes is necessary for success. But that was that - I was fired and asked to clear out my desk.

People call it being pink slipped, or laid off, or downsized; but quite frankly, its just fired. He softened the blow by handing me a two-week severance check. Phew! At least I didnt have to go back to work with everyone knowing I was fired.

I couldnt get my things packed up and out of that office fast enough. I felt as though no one liked me or wanted me around. The staff members who I thought were my friends were suddenly a little on the cool side - you get my drift. Actually, I feel they just didnt know how to handle the situation. It was uncomfortable for everyone. Oh sure, I put on a good stiff upper lip as I continued to be fairly cheerful, but not overly so. I just got to work clearing out my desk. It wasnt just my office cubicle that had to be cleared out though; there was also the company car. You know how things can accumulate in the nooks and crannies in a car. Well, it took me around an hour to zoom through both. Once I was done, one of the other staff members drove me home so they could bring the company car back.

How humiliating. One minute I was driving this cute little car with a three quarter wrap and then I was a passenger in it. I felt like an old lady. I arrived home and shed many tears. Here I was, jobless in the latter half of my life having worked my fingers to the bone for every employer Ive had. However, this wasnt the first time I was fired. Therefore, I thought I could just snap back, get back to work and be on top of the world again in no time.

Have you ever been fired from a job? It doesnt feel so great, does it? Do you know what? In the shock I suddenly remembered every humiliating experience I had ever had in my life. I mulled over each experience again and again wondering how I could have done things differently and I asked myself, was it truly my fault? I remembered how I was treated at every job. Were there similarities? Could I have done things differently? Was it me? Or was I just the brunt of a much bigger problem? I wondered, what is wrong with me? Why cant I just stay at a job longer than a few years? Sometimes it was only a few months before I was pink-slipped again. Was I so unemployable that I couldnt fit into any position I ever entered? My whole world collapsed around my head and I felt utterly alone, unwanted, and unneeded. What was I to do now?