It isn’t the end of the world, even if it seems like it. Losing your job can be a heart-breaking experience. After all, your security in life and your abilities is now in question. You can feel disillusioned, and there is the ever-nagging question of: What do I do now?

Well, you start over. Don’t develop a “victim’s mentality”. When one door closes another door opens for greater opportunities. Everything in your life happens for a reason.

Turn your former employer’s loss into your gain. This minor setback is just what you need to jumpstart a new life. Now, you can revisit your dreams and former desires (things you may have left behind for the sake of a career). When you search for a new job, you can find one that fits your identity perfectly. Starting over can be a positive, a great thing.

Just because you’re unemployed doesn’t mean you’re helpless. You still have all of the desirable qualities that kept you at your old job for so long, and now you also know the qualities that may have gotten you fired. See it as a learning experience. You have all of your experiences, skills, talents, and ideas. The only thing that has changed is, now, you can put them to better use.

Decide what matters most to you. Do you want a job that allows you to explore your creativity? Or do you want something that delights in your scientific mind? What are your personal convictions and how will they shape this new you? Well, why not find this position? You can—all you have to do is decide what you want and go for it.

Your personality and personal goals can be reached. Yes, you lost a job. It happens; accept it. That’s the first step to finding yourself and the job of your dreams. The second step? Self-awareness. Take time to search yourself. Decide what is important, what is essential, and where you want to go in life. The possibilities are endless.

Once you’ve accepted your job loss and have decided on what you want in life, the only things left to do is go for it. Remember: This will not be easy. You will have to work for what you want, especially since this new life should be an improvement over your last. You want the best and that takes time and determination. But, it is worth it. Your happiness is worth it.

Losing a job can be difficult; however, it can also be the first step to a happier, more fulfilled life.