I attended the live taping of last season's finale of Dancing With The Stars and it was a treat. The set was magnificent. The dancers were stunning and one light that stood out was Brooke Burke-Charvet. Her enthusiasm was infectious.
Now we all are getting a front row seat to how that same enthusiastic person handles getting fired from a job. As it turns out, there's a lot we all can learn from watching.
Of course not all of us are on TV every week, but most of us have been let go from a job at some point in our lives. That means that we go through what Brooke is going through on our own personal stage -- with our families, friends and in our communities. And many of the feelings are the same.
Today Us Weekly reported an insider saying, "It is nothing personal..."
I noticed that quote in particular because that's one of the lines we often hear when we lose a job -- it's not personal. What does that really mean? It means it's not personal to the employer.
But to the newly released employee, it's absolutely personal. It's tough to believe that you could have been of great value to your work when you've just been told they can do the job without you. No wonder people are so often left feeling valueless.
When it comes to showing the world we are full of value and prepared to THRIVE, Brooke is currently our teacher extraordinaire.
We all can learn a lot from her. Let's take a look at what she's doing right and how you can to:
1. Meet rejection head on. Brooke is confronting the dismissal directly. She's not disappearing. She is owning her personal story.
2. Define who you are. From her tweets, Brooke is letting us know she's not defined by her DWTS job. She's tweeting about her kids and her life, reminding us that she's a person beyond DWTS. And she is drawing attention to another strength of her business portfolio -- her role as a mom.
3. Be open to your future. Job loss is about handling change and adapting. Brooke is saying she's open to new opportunities.
4. Laugh! Brooke is handling loss with a sense of humor. Remember, people want to work with someone who can lighten the mood and laugh under pressure. Brooke is not playing the role of a victim. She's maintaining her dignity.
When life throws us a curveball, our future is not determined by the situation but by how we handle it. Brooke is choosing to handle her curveball with grace. She's taking control and you can too.
Thanks Brooke for being a great example of how to handle change like a champ -- we can't wait to see what you do next.