Twentytwo13

‘I was laid off 26 months ago. Still searching, always learning’

Twenty-six months and counting.

That’s right. Twenty-six months ago, I was laid off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Working remotely, I was alone at home, waiting for a meeting to start on an online platform. The meeting was suddenly cancelled and in came the owner cum chief executive officer of the company.

“Due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, we have decided to move back to the United Kingdom, and I am afraid that …”

I heard nothing after that.

We said our goodbyes, and that was it. From pocketing a five-figure salary as a director of content at a regional level, to nothing, in a few minutes. I felt my whole life crumbling around me. It was the worst thing that had ever happened to me.

Who is going to care for my family? What do I say to them? These thoughts raced through my mind.

I became lost for more than a month. Drank to my heart’s content at home, at a time when Malaysia was observing a total lockdown due to the pandemic.

A month later, in the midst of the lockdown, I woke up with a massive hangover, and I looked at myself in the mirror and wondered: “What have I become?”

I decided there and then to change my lifestyle.

The first thing I did was to work out every single day. This is because I realised that whatever situation I may find myself in, my health should be my priority. Health is truly wealth, all others pay cash.

So, I took baby steps, and today, I am proud to say that I run between 10km and 15km daily. I no longer need the motivation to do that because it has become a habit.

By being consistent, I began to see the world differently. I felt good about myself. I started to live in the moment.

I began to read books. So far, I have finished reading 36 books.

I started networking with people. I began to digitally detox. I started celebrating people – being happy for their wins, and sharing their sadness. The more I shared, the happier I felt.

Today, I am at my happiest.

I may not have enough, and I may be in debt, but I have experienced wisdom and the never-say-die attitude.

I have my farm too, because I want to be among those who feed the 7 billion mouths on this planet. It took me 12 years to make my farm dream come true because I never had the time to venture into agriculture, as I was employed full-time.

I drive for an e-hailing service company to pay the bills and to invest in the agriculture business I’m in.

I have reached out and spoken to chief executive officers, owners, and founders of businesses and recruiters. Some like me, some do not.

Some want to pay peanuts, while others want ideas or presentations for free, under the pretext of “interviewing” for a particular position. These people often reject or ghost me because I refuse to sell myself short.

Some of the recruiters and chief executive officers said that I know too much, and that I would be a threat to any organisation that I join because most in positions of power in Asia would want to protect their positions.

With them adopting such an attitude, I can forget about being employed in an organisation.

Whatever it is, I take it in my stride, dust myself off, and try again. I will always be open to opportunities. I will continue to listen and learn.

I have survived the last 26 months, and I know I will survive even longer.

Now, I longer chase money or glory. I just want to live in the moment. No thinking of the past, or the future.

All I want to do is to empower people and leave a legacy for my two beautiful children. I am grateful to have my loving family and I have learnt to appreciate everything around me.

If you have been laid off, remember, it is not the end. This too shall pass. You have it in you to get past this phase in life.

All you have to do is to search for what you want. You can either stay happy or choose to worry and be sad.

The choice is yours. It all boils down to you.

This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13. Main image: Taranjiv at the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry, seeking pointers for his farm project.