With an unexpected layoff, many people have suddenly felt like the rug was just ripped out from underneath them. A career suddenly vanishes in a blink of an eye, and the end result is something akin to being left at sea in deep water… just trying to keep your head afloat.

While this situation is grave indeed, many people are taking a moment to actually re-evaluate everything in their lives. Maybe they got that career start that led them down a certain road… and there never really was an exit ramp to get off. How many times have we heard people bemoaning the fact that they never really did follow their dream and got stuck in a dead-end job?

All is not lost. It’s not too late for a do-over. With the sudden ‘liberation’ from a staid career track, many unemployed people, while recovering from the shock of losing their job, are now finding that ‘breathing room’ to tentatively branch out and rekindle those long-dormant interests that gave them spark and inspiration.

Often termed ‘encore careers,’ the second incarnation of one’s working life often combines a person’s transferrable skill sets into something that a job seeker likes to do. Have a passion for a particular cause and have an accounting / finance background? Why not investigate non-profits that have a mission that fits your passion who need to hire finance officers? Are you a sales dynamo but have a ken for animals? Maybe a new career in marketing / promotions with a veterinary practice might be the right fit.

Making lemonade out of lemons can mean navigating carefully through the psychological impacts of job loss but at the same time, seizing the opportunity of this employment void to suddenly shift gears and find that job which has meaning… lights your emotional fires… and inspires you.

The drudgery of a career where there is no excitement and only a gritty, grainy clock-like existence is truly uninspiring. Too many times, people talk of their parents trundling off to their job for the entirety of their working lives.

Taking the steps to make your employment all about avocation where you combine your passion (what you love to do) and your skills (what you are good at) will make your life infinitely more rewarding.

Think about it.

Do the research. Experiment. Conduct job shadows, go through interest assessments like Myers-Briggs, and maybe even hire a career coach.

Isn’t the opportunity to radically shift what you do and how you do it into something that has PURPOSE worth the investment in exploring the options?