Reflecting on the Year 2023 — I Walked(?!) from San Francisco to New York City
*This story is a variant version of “From Layoffs to Playoffs”.
I walked 7.5 million steps, which is the same distance from San Francisco to New York City.
I met more than 10,000 people.
I had 7 different jobs.
This was 2023 for me.
What happened to me in 2023?
Exactly one year ago, one early morning, one day, I got an email from my employer which I had worked for — for more than 16 years. It said that my job was being eliminated effective immediately. I initially thought it was some kind of scam. However, it only took a few minutes before I bitterly realized that it was an irreversible and undeniable fact.
Layoffs.
This is a word that many big tech companies have been bombarding us with since last year. Up until I received the email from the company, I thought that layoffs were meant for someone else. I didn’t feel that I had to worry about it. To me, layoffs were not relevant to my life at all.
Let go, impacted, or affected… no matter how people try to describe “laid off” indirectly or euphemistically, it simply meant that I did not have a job any more.,
At first, it felt unreal. Then, I felt a sharp pain, as if someone had slashed my heart. I felt betrayed, as if one of my best friends had stabbed me in the back. I felt abandoned, as if I were stranded in the middle of nowhere without a cell signal.
I spent the first weekend after the layoff notice in a state of deep frustration and exasperation.
Then, a voice in my mind hit me like a bolt of lightning. It was;
“Lois, you were planning to explore a new job in a couple of years anyway. Leaving a high-paying job might not be as easy as you think. So, you should appreciate that your company has decided that — on your behalf. Now, you can do what you always wanted to do outside the corporate world!”
This revelation re-energized me, and I started to write up a list of about 10 jobs or projects which I have always wanted to do or experience for myself. The list was not limited to working at a place like a Trader Joe’s, a Starbucks, a bar, a bookstore, a library, or working as a pet sitter, a caregiver, or a babysitter, etc.
As a person who is always biased to action — and this time was no exception — I immediately started taking steps to achieve my new goals and plans. In the first week after being laid off, I applied to Trader Joe’s, went through their interview process, accepted their job offer, and started working there. About two weeks later, I finished all the driving requirements for Lyft, and I started driving people for hire. Then, I started working at Starbucks as a barista. Additionally, from time to time, on an adhoc basis, I also provided pet sitting services. Plus, I started offering professional consulting services to startups and working on my own startup project. Oh, another thing, I am keeping journals about what I have experienced, and I have published a book.
Although sometimes my body is dragging me, my legs are tiring, my arms are complaining, I feel like I has regained my vision and saw things again after being blind, my pulse has thumping after a faint move, my heart is pounding again after some frustration, and it feel like my whole body got pumped full of oxygen in veins.
That has been the biggest turning point in my life. My life has become much more rich and intriguing. While meeting with 10,000 people who have different backgrounds. I have become a storyteller with innumerable heart-moving stories to share..
Some people wonder how I was able to quickly bounce back from the deep valley called layoffs. The most important thing I have found is to stay positive and trust yourself. I can’t say I am having a successful life after my layoff, but at least, I can confidently say that I am happy, and I am continuously trying to do better for my future.
I am still in the middle of my Journey. Of course, I am still failing, and have been rejected in many corporate job interviews. I don’t know how my life will evolve, but I am certain that the experience in 2023 will never ever forget, and it has shaped how I see the value, how I see the world and It has strengthen me even more
I am still in the middle of my journey. Of course, I still fail sometimes; I have been rejected in many corporate job interviews. I don’t know how my life will evolve, but I am certain that I will never forget my experiences in 2023 and how they have shaped how I see a career and how I see life. Also, they have strengthened me even more both physically and mentally.
But you know what? I genuinely feel like I am advancing to one of the NFL or NBA Playoffs.
Not long after I was laid off, as it is too typical of me, I made a typo in an email to a friend. Instead of saying “I am one of the layoffs”, I said, “I am one of the Playoffs.” (haha!) But you know what? I genuinely feel like I am advancing in one of the NFL or NBA Playoffs.
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