Getting 'Un-Hired' Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me — Here’s Why It Might Be for You Too

Resa Gooding
6 days ago
4 min read

There’s a sentence people whisper as if it’s something to hide:

“I got fired.”

“I was laid off.”

“They let me go.”

But what if this moment that feels so heavy… is actually the one moment that finally sets you free?

Today, more than ever, losing your job might be the most unexpected advantage you’re given. Not because the situation isn’t stressful — it often is. But because of what it forces you to see: your own possibility.

We live in a world where access, technology, connection, and learning are at our fingertips. And in this world, a job loss often signals one of three things:

You’ve outgrown where you were.
Your gifts don’t belong in that environment.
There’s work you’re meant to do that no employer was ever going to unlock for you.

For many people, a layoff is the doorway they never would have opened themselves.

Entrepreneurship Isn’t New — It Has Always Been Part of Us

Not long ago, I was talking with my dad — he’s now 71 — and for the first time, I connected the dots between my journey and his.

Throughout his life, he moved between jobs and self-employment with a kind of natural rhythm. Insurance sales. The sugar cane factory in Trinidad. And now, an auto garage he operates with commitment and pride.

Then there was my grandmother, who woke up before sunrise to harvest the vegetables she grew, then headed to the market every weekend to sell them. No branding. No online strategy. No “launch plan.” Just hard work and ingenuity.

It hit me: Entrepreneurship isn’t something new we are learning. It’s something old we’ve forgotten.

Our parents and grandparents didn’t call it entrepreneurship — they called it survival, responsibility, and taking care of the family. They created livelihoods with a fraction of the resources we have today, and they built legacies on top of it.

Somewhere along the way, we glorified the idea so much that we convinced ourselves we’re not qualified.

But entrepreneurship simply means:“Using what you have to create value for others.”And that is something every single one of us can do.

You’re Doing More Than You Think — And Much of It is Already Monetizable

I was recently talking to a close family member who earned her law degree after more than two decades in HR. Despite her qualifications, she hadn’t found a job in five years.

But each time we spoke, she was busy:

Helping someone review legal documents
Assisting a friend preparing to buy property
Supporting visitors navigating Trinidad during Carnival
Making introductions
Guiding, advising, supporting — constantly

She was, without realizing it, operating like a consultant.

So I asked her:“What would happen if you simply charged for what you already do?”

She hesitated.

It wasn’t ability that held her back — it was the discomfort of asking.

We practiced a few simple ways to frame what she offered. And when she finally suggested a price, people didn’t resist at all — in fact, they paid her more than she proposed.

It was never that she wasn’t valuable. It was that she didn’t claim the value she already brings.

And this is the case for so many people:

You think you’re starting from zero, but you’re already operating at level five — you just haven’t named it yet.

You Don’t Need a Huge Business — You Need Momentum

There’s a misconception that entrepreneurship must start big.

Branding.

Business plans.

Fundraising.

Scaling.

Marketing funnels.

But that’s not how most lasting businesses begin.

Most begin with a single question:

“What can I offer today that helps someone right now?”

Your grandparents created income to cover the basics — food, transportation, school needs, rent. And many of them did it successfully without ever calling themselves entrepreneurs.

You can do the same.

Start small:

Identify your essential monthly expenses.

Then determine what skills, abilities, or knowledge you already possess that can cover those costs.

Because once your basic needs are met, you start breathing again.

You start thinking clearly.

And you become more open to bigger opportunities that naturally show up.

The breakthrough isn’t in scale.

It’s in starting.

A Layoff Isn’t a Door Closing — It’s a New Chapter Beginning

When people tell me they’ve been laid off, I see two possibilities unfold:

One path where they interpret it as a signal of diminishing value
Another path where they recognize it as a transition into their next evolution

And the second path is always the one that changes their life.

A job ending doesn’t mean you ended.It means the version of you who depended on someone else for security is being asked to evolve.

It forces you to ask questions you might never have asked otherwise:

What am I really good at?
What do people naturally come to me for?
If I could start fresh, how would I want work to feel?
What have I been avoiding that I know I’m meant to do?

In those answers is your next chapter.

You Already Have What You Need to Rebuild

You don’t need to be extraordinary.

You don’t need a perfect plan.

You don’t need to wait until your confidence catches up.

Here’s what you actually need:

A willingness to explore
The courage to ask
The humility to start small
The commitment to stay consistent
And the belief that you are capable of more than one version of life

You already carry skills, stories, experiences, and ideas that someone else needs.You already understand the needs of your community.You already know how to create value — you do it naturally, every day.

This season isn’t about discovering who you are.It’s about remembering.

If You Need Support, There’s a Pathway for You

If you’re ready to turn your experience into income — or finally begin the idea you’ve been holding inside for too long — I’d love to support you inside one of my upcoming SHIFT Challenges.

This is where clarity becomes action, and action becomes transformation.

You don’t have to take this step alone.

👉 Learn more at www.resa-gooding.com/shift

Your story doesn’t end with a layoff.

It begins there.