I Got Laid Off. But I’m Not Done Yet

13 June 2025 – A meeting with the company leader. I had been expecting it but when you actually hear the news, you are still taken aback. One moment, you’re planning next quarter’s growth targets. The next, you’re sitting in silence, looking at the screen and a heart full of unanswered questions. Especially when you’ve done everything right, the data presents and shows that you’ve driven growth & revenue but still you are asked to move on without any rational or logical explanation.

I got laid off.

It wasn’t because I didn’t perform. It wasn’t because I wasn’t valued. It was a business decision — budget constraints, restructuring, all the usual reasons. But even knowing all that, it hit me like a punch.

Because layoffs aren’t just professional disruptions. They’re deeply personal.

🧠 When Your Identity Is Tied to Output

For most of my career, I’ve been on Performance campaigns, launch decks, leadership reviews, strategy workshops — I lived in that world and I loved it. It kept me busy. So when it all paused, I didn’t know who I was anymore. I wasn’t logging into dashboards, no calendar full of calls, no ad-hoc pings from my team for their blocks or to ask my help for quick turnarounds.

Just… stillness and silence.

At first, it felt like a breather. Then it felt like a vacuum.

And slowly, self-doubt crept in.

“Why Me?” – This question haunted me.

People around me said the right things—”You’ll bounce back,” “It’s not your fault,” “You’re talented.” My wife, parents, brother all said, “These things happen in life, don’t let it get you down”. I nodded, smiled, thanked them. I know everyone meant well, but inside, I was grappling with a strange cocktail of emotions: guilt, anger, numbness and yes, at times even hatred for myself, for being in this position, for putting my wife, my family through this, even though it was not my fault.

I started comparing. Scrolling through LinkedIn became a torture. Everyone seems to be thriving while I was back to just trying to stay afloat. This was the second time in my career that I had been in this situation and I just did not expect it.

I’ve cried, alone (not because I was ashamed of crying in front of my wife or parents, because I did not want them to worry more).

🛠️ Rebuilding — Not My Resume, But Myself

The turning point didn’t come from a job offer. It came from a walk & a talk. A long, quiet walk with my wife where I decided I wasn’t going to let this phase define me. I wasn’t going to rush to “feel okay.” I was going to sit with this. Process it. Mourn the version of me I had lost, yes — but also to make space for the one I was becoming. I told my wife about this, she said “Do what you need to do. I’m right here with you”.

So I started again, started looking for open positions, reaching out to friends & former colleagues, writing blogs (including this one), started learning the cajon. Writing has always been calming for me, so it was not about impressing anyone, but about expressing myself and slowly, the fog started lifting.

✍️ What I’ve Learned in the Silence

1. Stillness is uncomfortable—but necessary.
   We’re so used to rushing that we forget clarity often comes when we slow down. Losing my job forced me to face what I had been postponing — reflection.

2. Value is not tied to employment.
   I am still me. Still curious. Still creative. Still valuable. Whether or not someone is paying me right now doesn’t change that.

3. The pause is not the end.
   It’s a comma, not a full stop. And what I do in this pause will shape what comes next.

4. The system needs fixing.
   We need to talk more about layoffs—not just as statistics, but as stories. As human experiences that deserve compassion.

5. Most Importantly – Never lose you Mojo

Have a reason, to wake up in the morning, to work towards, fight with every fiber of your being to become better than yesterday and to make sure that you do not get back to this situation again.

🔄 What I’m Doing Differently Now

• I gave myself space — to rest, to grieve, then started to dream again.

• I gave interviews, waited for answers, failed – learnt to practice more before every test.

• Decided that after all these years, may be I start consulting – but without selling my soul, for myself.

• I started reconnecting with people — not to ask for favors, but to share where I really am.

• I’m planning for a future that’s more intentional, more aligned, more me.

Some days, I wake up energized. Other days, I don’t and that’s okay. Healing is not linear. But the most important thing was that I was not going to let this situation get the better of me.