It has been just about a year since Bret lost his job and I thought it would be good to dig up the post he wrote a few weeks after. 🙂

“A few weeks ago, I lost my job. The timing could not have been worse. I was about two months away from starting the next semester, so I thought it would be hard to find work because nobody would hire someone if their schedule was going to change. But, I needed work now, not when I start school. Additionally, without going into details, it has been financially tough. Jen and I are going to be moving back in with her parents, which will be a humbling experience. Throw on top of that how the economy is, and everyone saying that nobody is hiring, and it seemed overwhelming. I was upset with God, asking Him why this had to happen when our finances were hurting the most, and when it would be so difficult to find a job. However, this caused me to really ask myself where my trust was. Was it in money, or my job, or my marriage, or was it in God? I had to re-shift my focus.

Jen and I have a board on our wall, on which we post things we are thankful for. At the top of the board, we have written, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” So, I put my termination paper up on the board, and after that, trusting in God has been much easier. Then things started to happen which I did not expect.

I found a job helping with Rebel Race. It’s one of the muddy, obstacle races that is trending now. Setting up the courses is tough work, and we are working 10-14 hours, whether it’s pouring rain or 100 degrees. The owner liked how hard I worked and asked me if I wanted to go to New York with them, which I did. They have also asked me if I can help them in the future. This job has been an answer to prayer for a number of reasons. First, we work many hours, which is fine because I have no other obligations right now, and it means I am actually making more money than I was before. Second, it didn’t require any certifications or previous experience. Third, I can work until I go back to school in the fall, which was a concern.

While working with the owner of Rebel Race, an entrepreneur himself, we would talk about starting businesses and being entrepreneurs. About this time, Jen went to a conference for women entrepreneurs and came back with so many ideas for our photography business. Also during this time, Jen and I were house-sitting for friends who own their own business, but were on vacation. These things culminated to me thinking, it would be nice to be my own boss. So, I have decided to start two businesses and write two books, one of which I have already begun writing. So many people think that job security is having a full time job working for someone else, but as I read someone say, “If you can lose your job from two words ‘you’re fired’, that is not job security.” I also find the idea of working my butt off to create a business, being the one responsible for how it does and how much money I make, and being able to take a vacation, very appealing.

I won’t say at this time what either of the businesses are, or what the books will be about, but I can’t wait to see where they go. I might fail at all four of them, but that doesn’t scare me. I can’t just start the businesses, because we need some money, so I have been applying to different places. Also, I will stay in college because getting the degree is useful for the markets and audiences that I will try to be reaching later on. All of this would not have come about if I had not lost my job. So, if you read this, or talk to me, don’t feel bad that I lost my job. Please don’t tell me you’re sorry, or that it sucks. I won’t be mad or anything, I understand my friends just want to console me, but I would ask that you rather encourage me. It really has been one of the best things to happen to me, and I have been able to give thanks in this circumstance.”