Does the Loss of a Job Mean You’re a Failure?

“You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”
He denied it, saying, ‘I am not.’ “
John. 18:25

Failure is a part of life. If you haven’t failed at anything, you have to ask yourself if you have tried anything truly challenging…truly risky. Many individuals that achieved outstanding success also encountered devastating failure along the way.

• The best sales people know they will fail to make a sale 80-90% of the time.
• The most outstanding inventors know it takes hundreds of trial and errors and failure before they achieve what they were planning for in the first place.
• To anyone observing the first century Christian church, they would have to conclude the church had failed.
  • Their leader had been killed barely three years into His leadership.
  • Many in the church had been scattered around the then-known world.
  • But God knew that first century was the scattering of seed that would reap a plentiful harvest down the road.

Where might your failure be leading?

The loss of a job can feel like failure even if you had nothing to do with it. The failure to secure interviews, or offers in your job search can feel like failure. But God has a much broader view of you than that.

Let’s consider some of the ways “failure” can be beneficial and add value, even to your job search:

• Introspection: Too often, introspection is unhealthy and gives those inner voices credence when they tell you you’re not good enough…it’s no use, you’re incompetent. Healthy introspection looks at all you have to offer and you ask yourself if you’ve been applying for jobs that fit.
• Evaluation: As you evaluate your “failures,” ask yourself:
  • “Did I prepare adequately, give enough time to preparation? 
  • Did I understand how to prepare? 
  • Did I prepare personally, understanding what was important for them to know about me?”
• Determination: Use the sales person’s determination, knowing each failure leads closer to success.
• Conviction: Rather than allowing each “failure” to beat you down, use each one to re-enforce your inner conviction, that God really is in control and these so-called failures are His way of steering you to where He wants you.

Failure is real. It’s part of life. But it’s also a matter of perspective. The Wright brothers must have had some of that perspective as each failure to launch those early planes has brought us the 747’s and 787’s that traverse the planet.

Failure is not always failing, it can be your launching platform also!

Father of Failures, help me not get bogged down and label myself as such, but see them as Your launching pad for my future.

If you would like to explore working with a Christian centered Career Coach, Contact me for a no-obligation consultation and we can discuss your situation, what you would like to achieve, and structure your job search to fit your uniqueness.