Laid off due to COVID-19. What’s next?
Below you will read the first article that I wrote for this year on my personal blog. Reading this now makes me realize how crazy I’ve grown personally and professionally. Who knew that following my passion for building community would lead me to launch the business of my dreams, during a pandemic? I wanted to share this because it’s a critical part of my journey, and I hope it can help inspire you to follow your passions where your heart leads you.
I can’t believe this is my first blog in 2020! Building with June took a bit of hiatus at the beginning of the year because work was busy, and I focused on my family. Who would have known that our way of living would change drastically in just a few months into the year? How I wish I could just go into a time machine and go back to 2019, where we had a strong economy, unemployment was at an all-time low, and we were far from having social distancing as the new norm.
It’s crazy how things change so quickly in just a short few months. We are now at the peak of this global pandemic, and it’s impacting so many people. The Coronavirus is taking thousands of people’s lives, but it has also hit our economy so hard that millions of people are laid off due to the impact of COVID-19. It has been almost two weeks since I got the news that I was being laid off-- and, yes, it was emotional.But this whole experience so far has been humbling. I am thankful for the support I have from my friends and family, and even more grateful to see the community coming together during these unprecedented times.
So what’s next for me? Well, I just filed for unemployment for the first time. Although it does give me anxiety knowing that I’m unemployed and that we have a mortgage to pay (also raising two kiddos that have so much energy and snack like crazy!) I find comfort knowing that I’m not alone and that there are millions of people in the same boat as me. I think the silver lining in all of this is TIME. We have the opportunity to spend time with our family while staying safe at home. Another advantage of newfound time is the opportunity to do some soul searching, reflect on what’s important to us, and work on the passions and projects that fuel our souls.
These next few months, as I focus on homeschooling my children while starting my job search and thinking about my next career move, I want to build a supportive community during this pandemic. I have always had a passion for empowering people,celebrating their uniqueness and sharing it with the world. I will be connecting with my friends, local business owners, artists, and creators and learning how they have been transitioning to this new reality of socially distanced life.
