What’s it like to live each workday as if it might be your last? For some, it’s stressful. For others, it’s fuel. The concept of “being prepared to be fired every day” may seem extreme, but it can set off a dramatic change in thinking—one that amplifies drive, creativity, and resilience.
1. Pressure becomes performance fuel
When you’re not wrapped in the cocoon of job security, you’re more likely to own your work. It makes you wonder, “What value did I create today?” That pressure can drive greater productivity and the audacity to take initiative, pitch big ideas, and disrupt the status quo.
2. Growth supplants comfort
Security of tenure has a way of stagnating things. Individuals remain in positions because of habit, not passion. But if you live as though your job isn’t permanent, you’ll be more likely to continue upskilling, networking, and keeping your mind active. It’s about remaining employable, not merely employed.
3. Purpose reorients your trajectory
When you decouple your sense of identity from job security, you’re compelled to ask: Why am I really doing this? This perspective serves to focus your efforts on more profound objectives—whether that’s establishing a personal brand, launching a business, or just discovering work that you love.
In brief, security is reassuring, but creativity and professionalism can be suffocating. Life as if every day you expect to be let go could quite possibly be just the impetus you need to become invaluable—or jump into the next best thing.
