In recent years thousands of responsible, hard-working people have been affected by staff reduction, downsizing, merger, acquisition or a mismatch in their position through no fault of their own. The shock of an unexpected layoff can be devastating to someone who has enjoyed strong career progress and expects even more career success.
Many people feel crushed and remain depressed for a long time.
Some start drinking. Many people settle for much lower paying jobs and drift into bitterness about how they feel mistreated. A few, however, fight their way through the distress, reorient to their new reality, and deal with the situation in a way that leads to an even better work situation than they had before. They convert what could have been a major career setback into an exciting new career focus. They have a talent for serendipity that lets them find good luck in circumstances that most others see as bad luck.