Life lesson #228: Research shows that it's the final emotion to an experience that determines whether it will be a happy memory or a not-so-happy memory, regardless of how horrible it was in the middle. In patients undergoing colonoscopy procedures, those who experienced low pain over the course of the process had less favorable memories than those who reported higher pain in the beginning of the process and none at the end.
At a conference in MD this week, three people from the company from which I was laid off sat behind me. One of them was my former manager. To put it politely, I was not aggrieved to leave that situation, but still refrained from sending any "flaming" emails. Instead, I sent a very gracious thank you to the entire team the afternoon I was let go and assure them all would be well. None of the people with whom I worked on a daily basis were involved in the decision and they needed to be able to perform their jobs. It's incredibly disruptive when a company goes through such a transition, and it can be eased by knowing those on the out are OK. So, I was gratified when I was able to warmly greet these former co-workers, and equally gratified by the former manager insisting we re-connect.
In the end, at the end, it's best to put a happy spin on the experience. It will determine how you remember it for the rest of your life.
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