What she told me that day still gives me goosebumps.
This was over 10 years ago. Back then, getting fired was taboo. No “career breaks” or “wellness breaks”, sugarcoating it. Getting fired meant failure. Period.
A toddler at home.
A housing EMI.
Rent.
Helping my parents financially.
And a boss who made it clear: If this client engagement fails, you’re done.
The engagement? Already under escalation. The engagement leader had quit, and I was brought in to replace him. Two weeks in, I knew it was headed for disaster.
Under crushing pressure, I called my wife and said, “I won’t last here beyond a month. I went on a long rant.” I was at the lowest confidence level in my career: my mind was racing, my speech was fast, and my heart was pounding.
She listened quietly and then said words that rewired me completely: “Forget everything else. Just deliver the best you can. If they fire you, it’s their loss. We’ll survive. You’ll get a better job.”
That single conversation lifted the weight of the world off my shoulders.
I delivered.
We turned things around.
And when I finally resigned years later, the firm went all out to make me stay.
Here’s the truth:
Every career hits a storm. And in that storm, you don’t need 100 solutions.
You need one person who believes in you when you don’t believe in yourself.
Find that person. Hold on to them.
Because sometimes, that’s all it takes to change the ending of your story.
Do you have a story to share? Who is that person for you?
Pic: With the person who gave me confidence when I was at the brink of failure.
I called my wife and said I might get fired…
