Hi all, this article is more of a reflection on what happened today at SWVL (where I work) and how it felt like seeing your close friends and teammates go, and what lessons I saw in them… it won't be long, but I hope you find it useful
What it means to be downsized
It’s bad, you always read about it from time to time, you feel people in LinkedIn, you may interact with people who got them from other companies, and it’s all good until you find yourself in a position where you suddenly have to say goodbye two days after you do some technical planning to a feature with your teammates
It’s sudden
No one expects to wake up one day to find himself at risk of losing his job, especially when things are not clear who is staying and who’s going, we work full-time in the hopes of having job security and other benefits like work-life balance, but there is always a lesson
Panic and grief
When we first learned that there will be downsizing, everything went from very good to panic mode, and until things settled, and we learned who was going, we basically turned to grief, like being in a war where you find that you’re not dead by the end of it, but you can’t live on, knowing that your friends won’t come back, and that’s where grief started
Reflection
I always asked, what would I do if I was laid off? Would I be able to keep my composure? Think straight? Everyone has his responsibilities towards his family/himself y'know?
And unfortunately, I couldn’t find an answer, however, there was something to tell myself
“In the moments of crisis, panic does nothing, harness it, let it serve you” — Kratos, God of War Ragnarok Trailer
My Sifu (Kung fu Master) always tell us in training to never do two things
- Back away from your enemy/opponent
- Give your back to an enemy/opponent
And those are the key to anything in life, hardships happen, that’s normal, but panicking does nothing, instead of panicking, use fear/anger to become hungrier than ever, and fight your way to the top again
Never back away and despair and let life get the best of you, you’re your only salvation, so don’t give up on yourself and ask “what am I gonna do?”
And this is my message to all my friends at SWVL that were laid off today, stay strong, we were and are a family, you are strong and smart, so don't let this get the best of you, it's a storm that will pass
