I thought getting fired would hurt. I ran down those stairs smiling.

Excitement

In 2008, I was fired from a job, for a gasket on a car being left loose.

Before this, there was a repair I made where I put the wrong tires on the front of a car.

There was another comeback in the middle. All of these accounted for 3 strikes. I left the brakes loose, and the car locked up on a customer.

Leading up to this point, I had taken a test at work, online, waiting for customers to hopefully come in so we could make money.

The test was labeled, “Should you Quit your job?”

I seriously wanted to know if I should quit my job.

Depression

At the time while I was working there, I didn’t know I was depressed.

It would be 10 years later, when I was reading about someone else and their struggle with depression, and the symptoms they exhibited from it, that I realized it mirrored how I felt.

I woke up unhappy, went to work unhappier, and came home angry. This was my routine.

I didn’t like my co-workers, I didn’t like my life, and I hated my job. Not disliked. Hated. Not because of the work, but regardless, I hated it.

I felt I could do more with my life, my skills, and my intelligence. If I had to admit it though, was afraid to try anything else though.

I was not supposed to listen to music while working, but I didn’t want to talk to a single person for any reason ever at work. I just wanted to finish my job and leave.

The Final Turn

On the day I came in, I was working, or just standing at my port, listening to music even though I wasn’t supposed to, and I got called into the boss’s office.

He told me I had hit a 3rd strike. The customer’s oil had run out. He said you’re fired.

I thought it would hurt, but as I ran down those stairs, I couldn’t stop smiling.

I left Lexus of Serramonte, uncertain of my future.

Uncertainty Set In

For the first time in a year, I didn’t know what I would be doing tomorrow, and I couldn’t be happier.

I knew what I didn’t want to do, but I also knew what I really wanted to do. So I did it.

I went back to school, looking to earn a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering.

It was long, grueling, and I often wanted to give up, but I knew if I wanted to set myself and my family up for a future we deserved, I couldn’t give up.

I was even uncertain of what I would be doing when I finished school.

I went to school to work in automotive. The goal was to work with Toyota as a design engineer.

What I Learned

What I learned about myself is that I am relentless, I have great instincts, and I am a lifelong learner. So there are no obstacles that I can’t overcome.

Uncertainty is just another word for opportunity.

You have to accept things sometimes for what they are, and accept that you can’t change them. But ultimately, your response is what will provide you the output of that opportunity.

Don’t be afraid of change. I hate change, only when it comes to comfortability of things at home. But when it comes to opportunities to make myself better, I would not have it any other way.

Uncertainty is inevitable. But so is my taking it and creating a new opportunity.

You can too.

Oh yah, about that test I took
The very last question said: If you read and answered every single question on this test, you’ve already answered the most important question.

| Life and it’s many Obstacles – Latrelle | I’m Afraid of Not trying – Latrelle | Depression – NIMH |