As my kids were playing and running around with the other children I overheard a couple of people talking about how hard it is to find jobs right now and the financial hardships that everyone is going through.
The woman involved in the conversation was being the sympathetic listener while the man told her his tale of woe. He was laid off in April 2008 after spending 27 years at the same job. Although his home is paid for, his wife is working, he still has the money coming in through his severance package and unemployment insurance he was so defeated. He felt worthless.
He was a true believer. He believed that if he showed up to work on time, did his job, and was a model employee that his company would take care of him. He truly believed that the fact that his division was the most productive and an award-winning productivity team that he would be safe from the economic situation. He believed, he believed, he believed ...
He believed in everything .... except himself.
As the conversation wore on and I joined in this poor man kept coming back to the same point -- he was only good as a fork lifter and that's all he wanted. Without that job he was lost -- you could see it in his eyes.
Is he unique? Surely not. Many people have believed that The System was going to take care of them as long as they played by the rules. Unfortunately, the era of The Company providing loyalty and backing up their employees ended in the 1970s when the statisticians and accountants took over every aspect of our economic lives.
The time to plan for our future is now and not when the ax falls. We mustn't allow ourselves to become complacent or we may have to work through the shock and pain of that dad at McDonald's. We mustn't allow ourselves to believe that we are our jobs. We are are so much more. And we need to forgive ourselves if we have placed our trust in the wrong things.
A good way to break out of the drone mindset is to let our light shine, whether offline or online. Do you have a hobby or a skill that others could use? If you're an online geek (like me) why not start a website that addresses that interest. You can learn about monetizing your website as time goes on, but the most important thing is to be a Giver.
You can do the same offline as well. Teaching someone a skill that you have or volunteering are all ways to give back to the community, make new friends, and build up your self-value and self-worth. For example, just by using a widget created by aGoodCause.com you will be helping to make a real difference in the world. A simple thing, but it's still a contribution to others.
Money comes and goes (and we all like money when it's coming), but even if rocky economic times should befall us, we need to understand that we are more than the sum of our checking account or the title given to us by some corporate entity. We are what matters and as long as we are intact, we can make a way through whatever trials we face.
We can prevail and prosper. The time to start is now. To begin this journey, just click on the picture below and receive a free audio and transcript of "Finding Your Why" - by Carrie Wilkerson, The Barefoot Executive. Now here's a lady that knows how to take charge of her life!
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