If You Haven’t Been Fired Yet, You Might Be Playing It Too Safe

Let’s talk about something most people avoid like a landmine in a job interview: getting fired.

Not "quiet quitting." Not being passed over for a promotion. I mean the big one. The axe. The boot. The “can we chat in the conference room?” followed by a walk of shame with a cardboard box and a forced smile.

Now, before you assume I’m about to spin some “failure is feedback” LinkedIn-flavored motivational Kool-Aid, hold up. I’m not here to romanticize getting canned. It sucks. It can be humiliating. It’s often unfair. And it can hit your confidence like a wrecking ball on a trampoline.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: If you haven’t been fired, at least once, you may not be pushing hard enough to do truly interesting things.

Let that sink in. And no, it’s not a badge of honor. It’s not a call to be reckless or irresponsible. It’s not about being a workplace chaos agent. It’s about understanding the uncomfortable intersection of risk and creativity… and knowing that sometimes, the cost of standing out is being asked to leave the building.

Getting Fired Isn’t the Tragedy You Think It Is

Some of the most talented people I know have been fired.

And guess what? They didn’t deserve it.

But they did earn it, in the sense that they dared to care too much, dared to suggest too much, dared to shake the status quo too hard. And in a lot of workplaces, that’s not rewarded. It’s seen as dangerous. Disruptive. Exhausting. "Not a cultural fit." (The ultimate HR euphemism for we just don’t like how much you make us think.)

We live in a business culture that fetishizes innovation but systemically punishes actual risk. You’ll hear “Think outside the box!” shouted from every inspirational poster, but the second you try something unconventional, the committee shows up with their sharpies and edits your ideas into beige.

And if you push past that? If you keep swinging even when they ask you to bunt? You become “difficult.” You make people uncomfortable. You get labeled.

And if you really do your job well, as in, if your job is to drive attention, make noise, question systems, or push creativity into uncharted territory, eventually, someone will decide it’s easier to let you go than to let you keep going.

Getting Fired Doesn’t Mean You Failed. It Means You Were Dangerous to the Status Quo.

So let me say it plainly: Being fired isn’t always a failure of performance. It’s often a failure of compatibility. Or politics. Or timing. Or someone else’s fear.

It doesn’t mean you were wrong. It means you were too right too soon, or too bold in the wrong room.

And yeah, sometimes people do get fired for actual screwups. If you embezzled money, got caught with your hands in a co-worker's proverbial cookie jar, or tried to expense a personal jetpack, that’s on you.

But a lot of the time, people get fired because someone higher up got scared. Scared of attention. Scared of scrutiny. Scared of real change.

What Getting Fired Taught Me

I’ve been fired before. And no, I didn’t love it.

But I am grateful for it because after I got past the hard feelings and the revenge fantasies (I give myself 24 hours and move on) getting fired always lead to a better opportunity with a better fit.

The weird thing about getting fired for me was it taught me what I could survive, and it gave me clarity I couldn’t buy. It forced me to reassess what I wanted, what I was good at, and who I actually wanted to work with. It gave me time to take a breath, re-center, and double down on what mattered.

Here’s what I learned, and what I wish someone had told me before I found myself holding the severance letter:

1. Don’t Take It Personally (Even If It Feels Incredibly Personal)

Unless you broke the law or publicly insulted the CEO’s haircut, your firing probably wasn’t a moral indictment. It was likely a budget line, a restructuring casualty, or a response to fear masquerading as strategy.

Remember: You are not your job. You are a person who had a job. Big difference.

2. Anger Is Real. But Don’t Unpack and Live There.

Feel your feelings. Absolutely. Scream into a pillow. Write the rage email. (Just don’t hit send.) But don’t let bitterness take the wheel. Every minute you spend plotting imaginary takedowns is a minute you’re not rebuilding your future.

Ruin porn is addictive. But reinvention is way more satisfying.

3. This Is Your Chance to Actually Ask What You Want.

No more excuses. You’ve been set free, whether you asked for it or not. So now’s the time to sit down and answer the question most people avoid their whole lives:

What would I do if I didn’t have to play it safe anymore?

Start there. You might not land your dream job tomorrow, but this is your window. Don’t waste it trying to get back to the very place that didn’t know what to do with you.

4. Your New Job Is Finding the Right Job. But Don’t Forget to Be a Human.

Treat your job search like a job. But not like a soul-sucking, email-blasting factory of sadness. Show up. Put in the effort. Network like a human, not a desperate AI.

And please, for the love of your sanity: Do things that fill you up while you’re looking. Read dumb books. Go on walks. Watch bad TV. Hang out with people who make you laugh. Give your nervous system a break.

Reinvention requires energy. Protect yours.

5. Tell People You Got Fired. Yes, Really.

There’s nothing shameful about it. In fact, owning it is your superpower. It tells people you’re self-aware, honest, and resilient.

And here’s the real reason to tell people: most opportunities come from people you already know. The sooner you share your situation, the sooner someone might say, “Oh hey, you should talk to my friend at X.”

Keep it quiet if you want. But just know: secrets rarely serve your next chapter.

One Last Thing

If you’re someone who tries to make work more interesting, who pushes for better ideas, louder ideas, risky ideas, then this message is for you.

Getting fired might just be the cost of doing business.

Because interesting people get let go. Not because they’re bad at their jobs… …but because they refuse to do boring work in a world that rewards boring work.

I’ll take that trade every time.