Why I'm Still A Success

This seems like an odd post title after being fired from my job of 13 1/2 years this past week.  But let me tell you, I can see God's mighty and wondrous hand through everything that has happened since then.  I'm going to share with you now:

I was fired on Tuesday morning.  On Monday night, I emailed all my contacts from my work email, letting them know I was leaving.  After all, it's not their fault that I would no longer be able to assist them.  I gave them my cell phone number, my private email, and asked them to keep in touch on Facebook.  I also applied for four jobs online.

Over the past thirteen years, I have always tried to be pleasant, helpful, kind, and generous, even if I didn't really have to.  My question is, why wouldn't you want to?  It's so much easier than being mean, rude and nasty.  My doctors offices LOVED me.  Even though I wasn't their employee, they could count on me to help them, whether it was verifying patient demographics, insurance verification, coding, authorizations and benefits, or even personal issues.  They came to depend on me for my professionalism, warmth, and good attitude.

Today is Wednesday morning, and I was fired about 24 hours ago.  I have already received TWO job offers from my doctors offices, and have ONE job interview on Friday.  The two job offers are contingent upon my passing the CPC exam in September, but the job interview is at a rival hospital doing...get this...patient access, which is what I have been doing at my former job for thirteen years.  I applied on Monday night, and they called me Tuesday afternoon, which is just an astonishing turn around!

Thank the Lord above that my bff Ginger insisted that I buy a pair of work appropriate business trousers.  I insisted I would never need them, but she persuaded me to get them, and I'm glad I have them now, because that's what I'm wearing Friday.  My plan for today is to drop off some items at Goodwill, and then go shopping there to find a work appropriate business top and blazer.  If I can't find them there, I will probably head to Lane Bryant.  Most of the clothes I own are flowy hippie dresses, and I clearly can't wear that to a job interview.

So the lesson is this:  Be kinder than you have to be.  Be helpful, even if it's not in your job description.  Be polite, be gracious, and be the best you can be.  It will pay off in the long run for sure.  I am not ashamed to admit that I cried when I lost my job.  It was less about the money, and mostly because I am worried about not having health insurance, plus I felt rejected. I poured my heart and soul into being the best employee they could have, and I felt like I had been thrown away like a dirty diaper.  But those years of being kind and helpful have paid off!

I know in this terrible economy, it is terrifying to start over.  I'm not going to lie, it's STILL scary.  But I feel FREE, peeps.  Freer than I have felt in a long, long time.  And not just because I'm sitting in my pajamas at my dining room table drinking coffee and doing laundry.  I feel like opportunities are knocking all around me, and I get to pick!  Eeeeeee!!!!  How exciting is that?!!?

I have hope and a future!  Thank you, Lord!