I keep reminding myself that the opposite of inertia is motion. Even if you’re just running in place.
Sometimes life is like that.
When I was in high school, I was in the marching band. Every year we marched in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. When you’re in a band in such a big place, there’s a lot of “hurry up and wait” going on.
There are two ways to wait, though. One is to sit still. One is to move, even if it’s just running in place. In marching band we would march in place when the drum major bellowed out the “mark time!” command. We were active, but not progressing. And sometimes when there was a stop in the parade (perhaps there were cameras recording another band ahead), the drum major would yell “parade rest.” At which point we stood with our feet slightly apart, our instruments held in our hands, our faces forward, with no sound. Just inertia.
Being laid off feels like a lot of “hurry up and wait,” “marching in place,” and “parade rest” all at the same time.
The trick is to keep moving, even if you don’t feel like there’s any forward motion at all.
Have you been laid off?
If you have, you’re not alone. There have been more layoffs across several companies in the WordPress community recently. If you’re one of those people wondering what your next role will be, you’re not alone.
I’m with you in the same place as I search for my next role.
I wrote a post on this blog back in 2023 when there were several companies going through the same thing. In it (WordPress Layoffs: Some Resources), I outlined some advice and resource areas to begin your search: from how to hone your résumé to how to guard your mental health. (I updated that post today.)
Self doubt is the enemy of movement.
Back in 2005, when I was working in higher education, my position was eliminated. Admittedly, I did not handle it well. I sank into a depression so deep that I slept for most of three months. I took it very personally, even though it was a budgetary consideration, and nothing to do with my work.
It’s easy to take it personally. You had friends where you worked. You created things you were proud of. You participated. You felt you were in your niche. Then it felt like the rug was pulled out from under you.
If you let self doubt slip in, you can foil your attempts to move forward. It’s easy to hide away and coccoon yourself away. To lick your wounds. But ultimately, that’s not helpful to your mental health, or your career journey.
Running in place.
Right now, I’m very much running in place. I’m getting myself organized. I’m working on my résumé. I’m putting out feelers. I have no idea what direction I’ll be headed, but I’m confident I will be in full motion soon.
If you’re running in place, I wish you well on your journey, too. I’ve created a channel in the Post Status slack for #job-searching. Use this channel for feedback from others about your résumé, questions about employers, salary negotiation, and more.
We’re in it together, and you’re not alone.
