My colleague was convinced that she would be fired. There was a daily routine that consisted of her rattling off all the reasons why her termination was an inevitable conclusion. Her arguments were so persuading, that she convinced me my job might be in jeopardy too. If it wasn’t for the fact that I dreamed of being fired, it may have had a major impact on me.

The constant worry started to effect her health. She was having trouble sleeping, she shared, and a recent visit to the dentist confirmed that the stress had been causing her to grind her teeth, leading to costly dental issues.

The moment of truth came when the regional manager visited our office for an extended period. Suspicions rose when we were treated to lunch. Clearly, this was part of the master plan, my colleague was convinced. These were farewell meals. Everything was only a means to gather evidence on why we should be let go.

Eventually, our regional manager returned to their home office, and we returned to our jobs. We had not been fired … yet. My colleague was worried, I was somewhat dissapointed.

A short while later, we attended a company convention where the most “outstanding” employees were being acknowledged for new promotions. My colleagues name gets called. She looks at me, shocked, and we can’t help but laugh a fraction too long. Apparently, she had only convinced herself that she was getting fired, the reality was, she was being promoted.