WINNING LEADERSHIP : Getting fired may turn out to be a blessing in disguise

I was once requested to “seek other opportunities”. My “services were no longer required”. Whoa! In just a couple of weeks, my world then was crumbling all around me. Angry and dejected, I wallowed in self-pity until I came face-to-face with starvation and an angry landlord huffing, puffing and blowing me out of his house. Hey, am confiding in you. This is the point at which you simply wish you could have passed me a tissue . Never mind that you’re reading about this on a national daily or why I was out of work to begin with.

Like most young excited adults starting out, I believed two huge lies modern life feeds us the minute we set foot in the school system. A lie we embrace without scrutiny and integrate as part of our norm. Most of us are raised to virtually believe in educational degrees. Go to school, earn a degree and you’ll get a good job.

While I have every respect for the knowledge and a certain socialization education exposes us to, we are all too aware of the thousands of brilliant Kenyans walking our streets with degrees in hand, and no job. What happened? Praxis ... these poor souls integrated their belief with their behavior. Unfortunately, they believed a lie – like I did. They believed that getting an education was getting a degree, diploma or certificate. That’s not true.

Praxis is the integration of thoughts and belief with behavior. We attain this when our thoughts, feelings and actions are in honest productive alignment. This is a huge idea. Understanding praxis positions to achieve any result we choose because possibility, power and profit are within our reach – all of us. Our current circumstances are really results of our previous actions. NOT a measure of the circumstances we are capable of creating for ourselves tomorrow.

My devastation at being jobless stemmed from belief in another lie most corporations worldwide tell us. “give us loyalty and we give you security.” Like a sheep, I blindly followed the millions of people into the workforce without ever analyzing the offer being presented. Had I or the other millions of people taken time to carefully study the promise, we would have realized that no company in the world could give a person security regardless of our service or loyalty. Security, real security, comes from within us. If you don’t have it inside of you, you simply don’t have it.

Speak with any of the thousands of victims of layoffs, downsizing, right-sizing or re-engineering, re-whatever-it-is-called nowadays. They were loyal and thought they were secure. Many are resentful, bitter and blaming someone. Now, we know that blame is always un-productive, regardless of how justified we may feel. In most cases, employers do the only thing they can, in an attempt to stay alive. We are all responsible for where we are and what we are experiencing. If your results aren’t pleasing, examine your thinking to see if it is aligned to your goals.

The promise corporations previously made was not viable. Smart companies now promise; “give us performance and we will give you opportunity for growth and development.” That is a sound idea.

Success is a subject that can be studied, understood and enjoyed by anyone. It is not an inheritance or lifestyle only a select “lucky” minority enjoy. The beautiful truth is that successful people are not and have never been, lucky. This is an orderly universe you and I are a part, and that order is an expression of universal laws. It leaves very little room for luck.

Courageously begin to analyze your conditioning. Ask yourself if you have sound reasons for your thoughts, perceptions and opinions regarding gender, food, authority, work, family, time, money, success and so on. You will find that many of your strongest convictions are absolutely baseless. They may even be totally absurd. Most of your perceptions are inherited—you didn’t even develop them yourself.

Developing and reviewing our thoughts and perceptions is the most important mental capability we possess as human beings. Make a list of your perceptions today on various facets of your life. Then step back and look at your list. I hope you have a good sense of humour because your list may look like a stranger’s. You’ll find it comical - at least, that’s what most people who honestly complete this exercise conclude.

You have potential without limitation. You have it in you to improve every aspect of your life until your entire life becomes an expression of your inner limitless potential. Happiness, health and prosperity are normal and natural states for you to experience. The only thing that stands between you and all the good that life can offer is sound thinking. Combine that with the effective use and application of Praxis and you’ve got a magically winning combination.