When Life Gives You Lemons...

"You make lemonade and then toss it into the face of the person who gave you the lemons until they give you the oranges you originally asked for in the first place." — Bill McNeal (played by Phil Hartman), NewsRadio.

The lemons I have just received came in the form of being laid off from a company for which I had worked for 13 years. Why am I calling it lemons?

The Lemons:

Being laid off was definitely sour—hence, life was giving me lemons—but it was also a relief at the same time because I was not very happy in my role anymore. It was becoming too political, and I felt that too many individuals were only looking after their careers, not the business or, especially importantly, the customers. This led to an inferior experience for the people/team members I was responsible for and ultimately worked for. I miss the good people, some of whom I have built a relationship with for 13 years, and I do know they are not gone, and I plan to reach out (some who I have already) to meet up and have a drink or a coffee.

Getting those Oranges:

I am grateful for this opportunity to change my life and grow personally and professionally. This layoff will lead to better things, but it's not exactly the change I wanted at this point in my life. I want my oranges!

What does this mean for Stream717? It allows me to use my hobby of content creation and my passion for continuous learning to help build my skillset for my next career move.

I will expand from creating video game content to creating business content. I worked 13 years for an IT security company and grew a lot as a leader and businessperson, and I have a lot of lessons and learnings to share with everyone.

Next Steps:

I have just started mapping it out, but I will start blogging regularly. I have some critical and time-sensitive items to take care of before I can hit the ground running. Stay tuned as I turn these lemons into lemonade and prepare to receive the oranges I originally asked for in the first place.

If you want a good laugh, checkout the YouTube clip of the quote from News Radio - https://youtu.be/c5bHHBi6Cgc?si=8kbdBsyZ5ol5TDRw&t=19

What are life moments you have had where you received lemons over the oranges you wanted? Share your thoughts in the comments below.