I've had a total of 3 layoffs in 25 years, though all 3 have occurred since 2008.
The first was the catalyst for me to really look at my lifestyle choices and the self-perpetuating need for high income that they were creating. My wife and I methodically eliminated debt and downsized our lifestyle to open the space for lower income work (thus broadening the field of jobs that would support our needs) and it has been a liberating experience. I no longer "need" a soul draining (for me) 6 figure income to support our family, and my wife is now working full time in a field she deeply enjoys, which pays for our basic needs. I've really enjoyed not working these past 11 months - I really needed the break - and am looking forward to doing work I truly enjoy for the first time in 25 years.

I had interviewed for a job with DT Swiss, whose US headquarters are here in Grand Junction, and though I really liked the people and work environment it would provide, the job would put me back on the 8-5 corporate schedule with limited time off, etc. I've found that I have a need for more flexibility and do not desire the inherently limiting work life that is so rigid. Living more simply has allowed this flexibility and I am grateful for it.

My unemployment periods have really helped me to shift my perspective and get a better gauge on my choices and how I had locked myself in to my own trap in the past.
At 46 (almost 47), I've finally determined that life is way too short to do something that I do not enjoy, even if the money that comes with it is enticing. The funny thing is, even though I had earned very good income during those years, our lifestyle had expanded to fill the void, and frequent moves proved disruptive to any savings or financial momentum we may have achieved.
I feel much better now about our relationship with money despite the fact that our total income is now a fraction of what it once was, and we have much more free time and can still travel and experience many aspects of life that we had previously been too busy to enjoy.

The one thing I am grateful for about my "previous life" is that we did have the opportunity to live overseas and all over North America, plus frequent vacations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This experience is invaluable to me. I've lived outside the US for a total of 12 years and would not trade that for anything.