Getting fired can be a traumatic event to some people, but it's not the end of the world. If we step back, after the initial impact, we may find that our attitude and actions played into the situation, even if we were right in our stand in the conflict.

In order to assess our personal behavior, we need to be truthful from the inside out, so that we do not lie to ourselves. Being truthful and admitting our failures takes infinitely more courage than placing the blaming on others.

By doing a personal assessment, we're able to shed the negative mantle of bitterness and depression over the firing as we see it in a more balanced light.

I was very close to being fired not long ago. The handwriting was on the wall, so I resigned before that happened. Before I even resigned, I did an assessment of my own behavior because it was important to me to see the entire situation and not just my righteous reasons for the conflict. Having done that I was able to resign from a reasoned decision rather than from an emotional decision. I have never regretted my decision to leave the organization.

Courage and honesty are elements of character growth. Do an assessment and you'll see what it does for you.

Learn more about this author, Mona Gallagher.
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