Life after the LA Times, continued

Ann Brenoff, a senior writer at the Huffington Post, recounts the day three years ago when she was tapped on the shoulder to be laid off as the Hot Property real estate columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Actually, she got a computer summons to report to her editor's office, where an HR functionary out-processed her in three minutes. She has some advice for the newly curb-kicked.

I don't want to romanticize the awfulness of losing your job. Three years ago today, I left the Times' downtown office and allowed myself one commute home's worth of grieving. Granted, this being Los Angeles, it was a long commute where I had plenty of time to pound the steering wheel with my fist and scream out a certain editor's name in vain. But once I pulled into my driveway, I brushed away my last tear and got busy with the business of moving forward.

First, I made a conscious decision to skip the blame game. Whose fault was it that I was suddenly unemployed? Was I singled out because of my outspoken, push-back nature? Feh. The economy sucked, somebody had to go; let Karma take care of the bastard who picked me to be that somebody.

I also skipped the anger part. Anger is an emotion that consumes you, and while you are consumed by it, nothing is getting done. I had things I needed to get done, like figuring out how to recoup my lost income and keep my family afloat during the most difficult economic years our country has ever seen.

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I learned lots of things about myself, including how much better I felt if I was helping someone else. There were days when I gave away freelance writing gigs to friends whose rents were due or who just couldn't gain traction and were getting depressed about it. I talked to them at length about how projecting a positive attitude as the key to getting work, and by the way, to actually feeling better. Yes, some days it takes an Academy Award-winning performance, but you have to "fake it till you make it," as they say. Go read Facebook. Do you really think all those "Had a great Webinar today with an awesome crowd" posts don't involve some acting?

Previously on LA Observed:
Laid-off LAT editor counts her recession blessings