Maybe You Need to Fire Yourself from Your Job

Thirty-two years ago, I was fired. I was married and had two young daughters, two and five years old at the time. Fortunately, a year earlier, we had sold our house and started renting with the expectation we would eventually move to Los Angeles. But when you have a full-time job, it’s tough to pull the trigger on resigning to leap without a safety net, so I just kept putting it off. 

Finally, I took some vacation time and bought a ticket to LA to spend a week meeting people and interviewing for a position on the West Coast. But a few days before my flight, I was called into the boss’s office and handed my walking papers. 

By 5 o’clock, they wanted me out.

Despite my expectation to leave on my own, getting fired is always a shock to the system. I left the office that afternoon, went home, and told Kathleen. We sat on the bed and shed a few tears, but after a few minutes, we got up and re-focused everything on moving to Los Angeles.

It was hard, but looking back after 32 years, it was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. We finally stepped into our real calling, focused on what we knew were supposed to be doing, and trusted God to help us chart a new path.

Over the years since, I’ve noticed a lot of other people who need to be fired. 

Like I was, they’ve gotten stuck in a rut. Some have been bought off with a raise. Others know they’re not doing what God has called them to but are afraid to step out into uncharted territory.

If that’s you, this may be the sign you’ve been waiting for. I don’t know your particular situation, so I can’t make the decision for you. But I can assure you that if you feel your talent is being wasted, you hate going to work, or you’re not fulfilling your destiny, this may be your moment.

Because I waited so long, I probably lost five or more years doing what I should have been doing, so don’t let that happen to you. Every day you live outside your purpose is another day wasted.

Maybe it’s time to fire yourself.