The Power of The Pink Slip
PINK SLIP: The phrase was born when one or more companies started the practice of terminating employees by giving them notice on a piece of pink paper. The color was chosen so that the notice would stand out from the rest of the paperwork on the poor guy's desk and he wouldn't miss it.
Do you ever find yourself hoping to find that Pink Slip on your desk? Thinking, if they let you go, then you would be free to make a fresh start. Then you’d be free to start your own business, free to apply to jobs in completely different fields, free to use a little time to put yourself first and free to finally start taking the risks you’ve been dreaming of.
If only they’d do you a solid just this once, and LET YOUR ASS GO. It’s all in their hands, they’re holding the leash, they’re keeping you on and they’re holding the keys to your freedom. It’s gotten to the point where you find yourself daydreaming about being called into HR, to talk about “your future with the company”. You think about all the downsizing that’s been happening, how you’ve started not really caring much anymore, wondering if it shows, secretly hoping it does and with just one meeting you’ll be released and finally able to ask yourself…what do YOU WANT TO DO?
What is the difference between them firing you and you leaving on your own? You can come up with all the answers you want, but in the end it’s fear. You’re afraid of being the one responsible for putting yourself into the situation that you’re actually wishing for. You’re afraid you’ll feel lost without the misery of that all-consuming job, that the dream idea you have won’t bring you the success you desire or even worse, it’s NOT your current job that’s the issue, it’s you. What do you do? Do you keep coming in for the next five, ten, fifteen years, hoping that eventually this misery you feel will become so comfortable you don’t realize there’s anything wrong? Do you read this article, feel the truth in it, get angry and send me a nasty response, explaining how I know nothing about your responsibilities? Do you get up right now and quit on the spot?
My suggestion – give yourself the Pink Slip. Tell yourself they will be firing you on a specific date, and you need to start planning out what your next steps will be. Hold true to that date, mark it on the calendar, write up your Pink Slip (which will be your resignation letter) ready to hand-in two weeks prior. Now, what do you need to get in order? Who do you want to network with? What steps will you take to hit the ground running once that Pink Slip is official? Maybe, you’re not ready to take on something else. Maybe what you actually need is time to redefine who you are, to reacquaint yourself with you, to start showing up for yourself again.
It does seem easier if the decision is out of your hands, but you need to ask yourself, what if it never comes? What if the company never fires you? What if you spend the next ten years waiting for them to make the move that you could easily make yourself? Do you want to start building your new life now or wait another ten years? Stop waiting for someone else to force you to take the action you desperately want. If you want out, step up and walk out those doors on your terms. Take that energizing reaffirming feeling of personal power and responsibility to start building the life you truly want TODAY.