Unemployed for the First Time Ever

Please read my previous post in this “New Beginnings” series of posts:
* Parenity, Entrepreneurship, and the Ever-Present Anchors of Scarcity and Uncertainty
And here are the next posts in the series:
* Why My Next Move Is To Build Parenity.com
* Parenity’s Launch Product: A Morning Drink Powder For Exhausted Grownups

On May 8th of 2024, a RIF occurred that resulted in me losing my job. For the first time ever, I was unemployed.

It happened on a Teams call. It was very short and not very sweet. I was notified the day before that our office would be closed that day, but I planned to still take care of some pressing work, and hopefully relax a little by mid-afternoon. The announcement was delivered, there was a moment of silence to make sure there weren’t more words forthcoming, and then I hung up. Knowing it would take me at least the day to process this new information, I started to click around to get back into my overflowing task list. That was when I processed the first part of this new way of existence.

My. plate. was. completely. wiped. CLEAN. I had nothing to get back to! Anything I had going was now someone else’s problem, or it just completely disintegrated from existence forever. No loose ends to tie up. Nobody to follow up with. No reminders to be set. If I had feelings of sadness or worry about losing my job, they were totally cancelled out, leaving me feeling slightly better than I had when I woke up that morning. This was a snow day, except the grass was green and the sun was bright. I went for a walk, got myself a cold brew, and looked at some sunglasses.

Many of my team and coworkers have reached out since the 8th and made me feel pretty good. On the other hand, I really regret that some of the people on the team I managed were also restructured in this process. I feel very much for these people, who were hard workers, and may not be feeling as favorably about this sudden life change. It makes me wish I could have done something, but these terminations were not performance-based, so even if I was still there to fight it, no song of praises would have prevented this.

Overall, in terms of me, my generally positive feeling is still lasting today, 23 days later. I know there are things I should be (and am, intellectually) worried about. I know EI will not cover our household costs, and we’ll need to revise our game plan to make things work. I know our savings will not last forever. But for the moment, I have clarity. I have moments in the day to rub two thoughts together. And, as Hook Hand Thug has sung many times, I’ve got a dream.

For many years I’ve had thoughts floating, and irons heating in the fire about running my own online brand. I’ve built and run websites for some great companies over the last 20 years. I’m now making the decision to move on this groundwork and make Parenity.com happen. Nothing is ideal, but the time-and available time- is right. Yes, I’m still going through the job bank listings and staying open and available for employment, but mostly I’ve been squeezing all possible moves to get Parenity rolling into each day since I was let go, and I can smell that I am getting closer and closer to launching the ecommerce version of parenity.com.

But what are my requirements in terms of my Employment Insurance benefits? I’m doing my best to stay on side of these. I do want to play by the rules and not game the system. I must say that the registration process for EI was very clean and void of red tape, which I very much appreciate. But I have not been provided with a list of do’s and don’ts, so I have to admit I’m a bit scared I’m going to do something to put my benefits at risk. So what can I do, but let me conscience be my compass? I must believe that the CRA would WANT me to succeed and stand on my my own two feet with my own thriving business, potentially creating jobs in the process. And these things do not happen by themselves. They require time and dedication. My approach will be to put in all blood, sweat, tears, and time possible to make Parenity a success, while remaining available and willing to work (which I’ve been told on a phone call with the CRA is the pillar of what is required). I’ll also continue to pay attention to job bank postings, and remain open-minded to work possibilities. I really hope I don’t get this wrong, but I also have a very strong idea of what I need to be doing either way.

Wish me luck, everyone. And if you’re a fellow exhausted parent, I hope I and Parenity can very soon lend some support 🙂

Please see my previous post about entrepreneurship, work, doubt, and Parenity for more insight into my, and my family’s, turning point and eminent rebirth!