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

Fri Feb 6 16:57:46 UTC 2009

 These are very good and practical words.  It is also important that we
be careful not to let the "job" define who we are.  It is easy to let
the profession define our identity.  That makes it harder to accept an
undesired position to pay the bills.  
As Christian, we seek our identity in Christ.  I know people who if
asked what they do they would say "I am a pastor"  because that it what
the Lord called them to do.  Talking to them, you find out they are an
unpaid pastor of a small church out In the farming community.  For a
living, some are janitors and others are well paid administrators.  
Their identify is in their call, not in their job.
I think of that often these days.  It would not take much of a drop in
giving for me to loose my full time  ministry income.  Some things would
not change.  I would still be in some type of ministry.  And I would
still be a husband and father, even if it meant cleaning the local
bowling alley to pay my mortgage.
Paul

Paul Weingartner
Making the Cross Accessible
Center for the Blind of the Assemblies of God
P 417.831.1964   F 417.862.5120
www.blind.ag.org
www.blindonline.ag.org

-----Original Message-----
From: faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kliph A M
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 11:38 PM
To: Kliph A M
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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