The Redundancy That Might Just Save Me
Because apparently asking the universe for a break means getting fired
I started this blog at a time when everything felt a bit upside down but also, in that strange way, sort of clear. I knew something in my life needed to shift. I just didn’t expect everything to. I’ve written before about how I need more from life than work. After six years of pouring everything I had into my job, chasing success like it was a train I couldn’t miss, saying no to plans, stretching myself thinner and thinner just to prove (mostly to myself) that I was the best, I started to realise something wasn’t working. I was exhausted. And I wanted more.
Apparently, the universe has been paying close attention. A little too close. Because last week, I was told that my job is being made redundant. Suddenly, I’m faced with a choice: do I throw my hat into the ring and fight for a version of stability I’m not sure I even want anymore, or do I take the redundancy package and walk away?
Honestly, I feel like I asked for a slight slowdown, a little room to breathe, not for the entire train to be derailed.
So now I’m here, on Substack, asking the kind of question that usually shows up at the end of a bottle of wine or a very long shower: is this just a massive cosmic shake-up? Is this the kick I wouldn’t give myself, so life gave it to me instead?
I’ve had more than a few chances to take control and steer my life somewhere new and truthfully, I didn’t. I kept saying, very confidently to anyone who’d listen, that I was going to take three months off to travel the world. A Big Trip. A soul-realigning, life-clarifying escape. But every time, I found a reason not to. Work was too busy. The timing wasn’t right. I’d do it after the next project. The next milestone. The next paycheque.
Maybe I was scared. Maybe I thought I had all the time in the world. But now… maybe I’ve run out of excuses.
I’ve toyed with the idea of other industries before. I work in TV, a job that’s genuinely been a dream of mine since forever. And in many ways, it still is. There’s a magic to it. But like any dream-turned-reality, it has its cracks. The long hours, the pressure, the pace. I’ve learned that even dream jobs can quietly burn you out if you’re not careful.
So now I’m wondering: is this my opportunity to pivot? To actually try something different?
I saw a job posting recently, something I’d love to do, something that sparked a little flicker in my chest but the salary is half of what I earn now. Half. At a time when I’m craving travel and dreaming of buying my own place. How do you even make that decision? How do you choose between the life you love and the life you might love, if only you could afford it?
I don’t know where this door leads. I don’t know if I’ll end up leaping into something new, or crawling back to what’s familiar with a slightly bruised ego and a really excellent redundancy package. Maybe I’ll take that trip. Maybe I’ll finally stop talking about the life I might live and start actually living some version of it, imperfect, uncertain, less lucrative, but mine.
What I do know is that something has shifted. I asked for change, and now it’s here uninvited, inconvenient, and maybe exactly what I needed.
So, here I am. Slightly terrified. Strangely hopeful. And, for once, not running to catch a train. Just standing still long enough to ask: what if this is the start of something better?
Let’s see
About Twenty Five Reset
Hi, I’m Niamh, and everyone was right 25 really is a turning point. I finally know who I am, what I want, and my purpose… but it’s nothing like I expected.
I work in TV, but it doesn’t define me. This space is my reset embracing the mess, reflecting, and creating again. You can expect:
Pop Culture and a lot of chats about 2000 - 2020 TV Shows
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