[Faith-talk] Today's Great Fear: What if I Lose My Job?

[George McDermith]

    Some very valid points. Thanks for sharing.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kliph A M" <phantom3919 at yahoo.com>
To: "Kliph A M" <phantom3919 at yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 10:38 PM
Subject: [Faith-talk] Today's Great Fear: What if I Lose My Job?


> Steve Diggs
>
>
>
> As I write this, unemployment is at about seven percent and we're being 
> told
> that it may rise to nine percent or higher. Of course, it's good to 
> remember
> that TV news is less about dispensing the news than it is about keeping
> viewers. So, rather than report that ninety-three percent of all Americans
> are employed we're reminded on a daily basis of the threat of 
> unemployment.
>
> To give some perspective to our current situation, historically economists
> felt that anything under six percent was great. But in the last couple of
> decades we've had such great prosperity that anything over four percent
> seems cataclysmic. So with the help of the mainstream media, we're all
> scared. Some are even predicting another Great Depression. While, anything
> is possible, let's not forget that during the Great Depression 
> unemployment
> ran around twenty-five percent. In those days people were trying to sell
> apples on street corners to get by. Today, we're more likely to be 
> concerned
> about whether we can afford an Apple Computer!
>
> Now, this doesn't mean that our fears are completely unfounded. If you're
> part of the jobless seven percent, you know it's tough! To give you some
> more statistics, the average time to find a new job right now is about 
> four
> and a half months. I'd like to help you shorten that. If you have a 
> minute,
> let me share some tips that might be helpful if you've lost your job and 
> are
> in a dessert period.
>
> 1. Remember, it's nothing personal.  After a job lose, many people go into 
> a
> real funk and find themselves asking over and over, "Why me?  What did I 
> do
> wrong?  Am I not up to the task?  Am I a failure?" This is what is 
> sometimes
> referred to as "stinking' thinking.'"  The truth is, you probably didn't 
> do
> anything wrong.  Because of economic realities, it simply became more
> profitable for the company to cut your job. Businesses don't have 
> feelings.
> To be successful a business, by definition, means the business must make a
> profit. Otherwise, it ceases to exist. So your dismissal wasn't a personal
> attack on you.  It was simply a tough, pragmatic decision made to lower 
> the
> company's cost of operation.
>
> 2. Negotiate with your boss. Try to get an extension. See if she will let
> you work for an extra month or two while you attempt to find new work. Ask
> for a severance package. While this may sound unlikely, some employees are
> wise enough to parlay a boss' request for a "non-compete" clause or a "no
> solicitation agreement" into the promise of several months of salary in 
> the
> form a severance.
>
> 3. Fake it 'til you make it. Don't fall into the trap of acting like a
> depressed person. If you act that way--you'll become that way. And,
> depressed people aren't very appealing to employers. Sitting on the couch,
> eating chips, and watching Oprah ain't going to fix it! This means that 
> you
> maintain a disciplined schedule.  Get up early every morning. Eat a decent
> breakfast. Go to the gym. Get dressed like you would for the job.
>
> Then go to work!
>
> You may be thinking What do you mean, 'Go to work?' Don't you remember 
> this
> article is about the fact that I don't have a job!"
>
> Oh, yes you do.  Your job is to look for a job.  Note: I didn't say, "Your
> job is to find a job."  No, it's to look for a job. If you do enough 
> "right"
> things for a long enough period of time--you will find a job. Set tough 
> (but
> doable) goals for yourself. For instance, determine to shake hands with
> twenty-five new people each day. Cold call five businesses each day. Call
> five people you know each day and tell them that you're looking for a job.
> Aggressively seek out and respond to on-line job openings. And, of great
> importance: keep a daily journal. At the end of each week you can review 
> it
> and see whether you've truly stayed on course.
>
> 4. Learn to network. This may not be in your "comfort zone" but this isn't
> an option -- it's a requirement. To stay sharp, engaged, and in other
> people's minds it is vital that you get out and shake hands. Go to support
> meetings. Go to job fairs. Go anywhere there are people. Have a card made
> with your name, phone number, address, and email. Hand it to everyone you
> meet. Don't be shy.
>
> 5. Get work before getting a "position."  This is especially important if
> you are laid off without the three to six month job fund I teach about in
> the No Debt No Sweat! Christian Money Management Seminar.  If you don't 
> have
> rent or grocery money --get some work in a hurry! Deliver pizzas. Clean
> houses. Rake yards. Do anything that is legal and moral! This will help 
> you
> maintain the sense of control that is all important in tough times.
> Depression frequently occurs when a person feel like they have no control
> over the events of their lives.
>
> Besides helping you maintain some control of your destiny, there is 
> another
> wonderful thing that an interim job can do. It can become a career! There
> are thousands of businesses all across America that were started simply to
> make a few extra bucks through a hard time -- which grew into major
> enterprises. Maybe this is what Paul was referring to in Romans 8 when he
> reminded faithful Christians that "all things work together for good to
> those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose."
>
> 6. Use this time as a period to reassess your life plan.  Ask hard
> questions, "Is this the field I want to go back into?" "Do I have a skill
> set that will be in demand in the future?" "Should I re-educate myself for 
> a
> totally different field?" "What do I really want to do with the rest of my
> life?"
>
> Often painful periods like this can be turned into opportunities for
> productive life change.  There's a great old saying, "Sometimes a flower
> blooms best when it's re-potted."
>
> I'm certainly not minimizing the pain and concern you're feeling. But, as
> Christians, we do have a great resource.  During dessert moments in our
> lives we have a strong protector. That Strong Protector never told us that
> we'd avoid long, dry dessert periods.  But He did promise to give us the
> "living water" we need for the journey.
>
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