Coping With Redundancy In Your 50’s

Coping With Redundancy In Your 50’s – Author Lianna Champ

Redundancy at any age can be a particularly difficult experience, but when we reach our fifties, we may have the added blow of reduced job opportunities with employers perhaps looking for younger candidates with a longer term investment.

Finding ourselves redundant in our fifties can have a knock on effect in many areas of our lives. Struggling to find a new job can affect our confidence and even our self trust in our ability to achieve.

An opportunity to learn new skills

Spend some quiet time. There is much inner learning to be found in silence. Learn to trust yourself and tune out any negative voices. Don’t let a fear of an unknown future hold you back, nor your old familiar habits. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and just keep doing the same things over and over because that is what we have always done. We can often find ourselves in a comfort zone. Inward reflection can open doors within us, so we can investigate new ways of living and being. We may want to change things that we have been doing for a long time and by inwardly reflecting we can discover dreams or ambitions which may have been hidden and that can be good for us to explore.

Use this as an opportunity to learn new skills. Life should not be mapped out and predictable. It is sometimes only through being forced to change and do new things that we can grow and develop.

You don’t have to look for the same kind of job. Think about all the skills you have and all the different areas in which you can put these skills to good use. Widen your net and above all, don’t be afraid to apply for a job because you think you won’t be able to do it.

Say ‘yes’ then learn how to do it later

It was Richard Branson who said ‘If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later’

So if you find yourself out there over fifty and redundant, remember all the amazing life skills you that have and skills from previous workplaces. Think big, dream big and persevere. That’s living in the face of adversity. Create your own mantra. It could be something like “I am successful in everything I do”. Find what works for you and you will find your work.

Coping With Redundancy In Your 50’s – Lianna Champ