Tag Archives: Boss

How Being Fired Saved My Life

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Yes, as the title says being fired from my job saved my life and this post is going to explain to you exactly why I believe that. You see it has been almost 2 years since that day that I heard the new GM say to me, “We are going to let you go “ I was shocked, pissed, scared and probably every other emotion that we have when it happened. I mean how could this happen to me and what was my life going to be like now that the job and career I had worked hard for was now gone. Little did I know that I was on a new journey that I believe has saved my life and has given me a clear picture as to what my purpose in life is all about. My goal for telling you this story some two years later is if there is someone out there who might be struggling after losing there job don’t lose hope because just maybe you too will be saved and found your true calling.

Now I am not going to go into all the details as to how and why I was fired but I do want to start with maybe a little foreshadowing event that happened when I first graduated from college. I have to admit I was not a big reader in college but soon after I graduated people who had created big companies and appeared to be successful fascinated me. So, one day I was at Barnes and Noble and picked up a book about the guys who started Home Depot. In it I found out that one of the founders of Home Depot was fired from his job. He said it was the best thing that had happened to him; little did I know that would be the case for me too.

So here is why I feel that way:

Probably the single most reason I have come to believe that being fired has saved my life I feel is because I have not spent enough time developing my spirituality. You see, for years I worked on building my career, my health, my wealth and my family, but the one area of my life that was out of balance was my spirituality. Now I had been attending church but wasn’t really growing and maturing in my spirituality. What I came to realize is that I had been going at everything alone and was fighting what my true purpose here on earth is all about. Through reading Scripture and the “Purpose Driven Life” I have a renewed sense of trust in my faith and my savior, Jesus Christ. It is strange how the good Lord works but I now know that me being fired was his way of saying it is time to get closer to me and stop doing things on your own. Understanding and realizing this has brought a sense of calm and peace to my life. I now have a clear picture of what I am called to do and no matter have tough things get I know I am not alone.

Another reason I feel it has saved my life is because I am able to use this as a teaching moment. I know it sounds strange but being fired has given me the opportunity to show my kids that life is going to hit you and knock you down, but the important part is how you react to life’s struggles that matters. Hopefully by me showing them that dad did not quit and had faith throughout will help make them stronger.

My final breakthrough and realization that my life has been changed comes from being an entrepreneur. For starters being an entrepreneur has taken me out of my comfort zone. I no longer have the luxury of having a paycheck delivered to my bank account any more, but making a sale and knowing that a person has trusted in one of my products or services gives me such pride and more personal satisfaction than any paycheck has ever brought me. Also, by being my own boss (Oh, the real boss is my wife J) I have had opportunities to do the things I like and take the chances on projects and ideas I am interested in.

As I wrap up my story I am going to admit to you that finally coming to this understanding has not been easy and I hope you don’t have to go through tough times to find out your true purpose but if you do embrace the struggle and realize that the old cliché “Everything happens for a reason” is true. There is a plan for us and part of that plan is to learn from your struggles.

So, my goal moving forward is to use my blog and this platform to help and encourage others to live the life they always wanted. I will also begin to share more about my struggles and insights as I continue down this path of entrepreneurship. I hope you will join me on the journey.

To your success,

Dave McGarry

P.S. If you know someone who needs a little inspiration please share this with him or her. Also, I would love to get your feedback and learn your story by having you comment below.

I hate to lose…but…

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On Saturday it all came to an end. The Florida Gators lost the SEC Championship game to the Crimson Tide. The Gators 22 consecutive game winning streak, which was the longest in the country, came to an end as well. Now, I am going to be the first to tell you that I hate to lose. I am a very bad loser and typically take it really hard, however, this time was different. I am not sure why, maybe it is my age, maybe it is that after losing a father and brother you realize there is more to life, or maybe it is the fact that at some point you realize everyone is going to lose and losing can provide valuable insight. let me tell you if you are not failing then you are not pushing hard enough. You are probably sitting in a comfort zone. I remember when I  first started my career in the fitness industry and everything came pretty easy. My boss, who owned the gym, handed me clients without me having to drum up my own business. However, it wasn’t until I moved to Dallas and started all over again that I learned about failing. I would meet with new members as part of their incentive to join the club and time an time again all of those new members were thankful for the program I had designed for them, but they wanted to work on their own. I couldn’t close a sale to save my life. I tell you that first summer I spent in Dallas was eye opening and depressing. I was failing and was miserable, but I learned from it. I realized I needed to learn more about sales and business. It was that summer that I started reading and learning about sales, success, and business. Each time I would lose out on a client I would evaluate what I did during my encounter with the prospect. I analyzed what I thought went wrong and made sure not to do it again. You see, losing can bring out the best in you if you are willing to learn from the loss. Take notes and write down in a journal what mistakes you are making and learn from them. The really cool thing about writing it down is years later when you are looking through your journals you see how successful you have become because of the mistakes that you made.

Now, don’t think I am saying to go out and lose because you play to win, but when you lose, and trust me you will lose at some point, learn from the loss. As John Maxwell says, “Fail Forward.” Learn from your loss and move forward. Keep pushing the envelope and make it your goal next year to aim high and guarantee yourself some losing lessons.