Have you ever felt as if the ground suddenly gave way beneath your feet at work? That everything which seemed safe and secure was suddenly shaken? That’s exactly how I felt – and today I want to share how I learned to let go, and in doing so, opened doors I never thought possible.

This blog post was written as part of a blog parade hosted by Evelyn Wurster, who invited us to share experiences and insights on surviving changes in the workplace.

 

The sudden upheaval: The dream job that ended

It was the dream job: exciting projects, creative challenges, and the feeling of doing something truly meaningful. In short, I was in PR heaven – until the fixed-term contract abruptly pulled me back down to earth. The contract wasn’t renewed, and suddenly I felt as if someone had taken away my parachute in free fall.

 

The fear of the unknown

The fear of the unknown is like a wall of fog – you don’t know what’s lurking behind it, and every step forward feels like a plunge into cold water. That’s exactly how it was for me: the fear of financial insecurity was overwhelming, and the future looked incredibly uncertain. But as the saying goes: when one door closes, another one opens – even if you sometimes only notice it in the rearview mirror.

During this phase, my boss at the time said something I found very hard to swallow: “A door has to close before others can open. You need to make space for the new.” Those words stuck with me, but it took me a while to truly understand and accept them.

 

When I learned to let go…

At first, letting go felt like trying to lift an anchor that was deeply buried in the ground. But once I finally released my fear, I began to see the opportunities that lay ahead. Simone de Beauvoir put it beautifully: “Change is the process by which the future invades our lives.” With that thought in mind, I set my sails and allowed new winds to fill my professional journey.

I decided to fully commit to my work as a trainer. It was a leap into cold water, but also a chance to grow my skills and discover new opportunities. And indeed – the more I embraced it, the more doors opened. It was as if letting go of the old created the space I needed to truly take off.

 

Mental tools: How I regained control

During this stormy phase, I reached for my mental tools as if I were fixing a broken bike in the rain. These three helped me weather the storm and get back on track:

Acceptance: Letting go is like untangling a set of earphones – it takes patience, but once it’s done, you feel instantly lighter.

Focus: Instead of getting caught up in the past, I concentrated on what I could control. Focus became my compass in the fog.

Self-care: And of course, fun had to play its part: jogging and quirky dance classes at the gym were my personal jokers to shake off stress and reactivate my “happy brain.”

 

What I learned

Looking back today, I’m almost grateful my contract wasn’t renewed. I never would have imagined that the end of one chapter could mark the beginning of such an exciting new book. My advice? Don’t be afraid of the unknown – sometimes it’s the best adventure that can happen to you.

 

Your turn!

How about you? How have you weathered the storms in your job? Share your stories in the comments – let’s learn from each other and inspire one another!