Social media creator Semini Kulathilake has opened up about losing her job and how the experience eventually pushed her to rethink her career and personal life.
In an Instagram video, Kulathilake said she was initially terrified and confused when she was laid off. With bills and other responsibilities to manage, she said the sudden loss of her regular income left her questioning how she would cope.
For the first time in years, she had the time to ask herself what she wanted her life to look like.
However, after spending time thinking about what she wanted to do next, Kulathilake said she began to see an unexpected side of losing her job.
Looking back, she felt that much of her energy had gone into building someone else’s business. The change also gave her more time for her personal life. She was careful to stress that she was not suggesting being laid off was a positive experience.
She said that while working a traditional 9-to-5 job, much of her attention had been focused on targets, her team and workplace responsibilities.
Losing her job forced her to step outside the limits she had placed on herself, according to Kulathilake. She said she had previously viewed her skills and career through a narrow lens, believing that her existing job was what she was meant to do. She said she was able to get married, travel to Sri Lanka and India, meet her in-laws and spend more time with family. Kulathilake also said the experience finally allowed her to pursue something she had been putting off for a long time: building an independent source of income that could not be taken away through a single work email. She said she would never have chosen it herself, but added that something she initially believed would derail her life may have instead pushed her towards the life she had wanted for years.
