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"The 'how'
thinker gets
problems solved
effectively
because he
wastes no time
with futile
'ifs'."
--Norman Vincent
Pearle
The
hardest part about being unemployed, especially if you are the type of person who does not
like to sit idle, is dealing the games your mind will play. Most of us place a high
level of esteem on our job title. We describe ourselves as Lawyers, Directors, or
Nurses. We describe others by what they do. So what happens when this main
element of your identity is suddenly gone? What do you do when the panic sets in and
suddenly it looks like you may lose everything?
Real names are not used in the personal experiences told below, but the
stories and facts are true
The best way to answer these questions is to look at how other people have
survived and prospered from a job loss. You are not alone and you will get through
this. Below we'll look at three stories of people who have lost their jobs, gone
through hell in some cases and ultimately prevailed. They haven't beaten the odds.
They've just beaten the self-doubts and faced their fears.
Dawn's Story
Fired to Freelance
People have different reactions to the
news they are suddenly unemployed. For some, the first feeling is relief.
Dawn, a radio salesperson in a major market had been with the station for over a year when
she finally got fired.
"It was the happiest day of my
life!" she explains. "I had wanted to quit for four months, but I couldn't
find another company I wanted to work for in the city and I was ready for a change of
location. The problem was, I didn't have any savings and I couldn't afford to just
quit with no income. My boss was a psychological nightmare in high heels and her
husband was the station manager. I had no recourse but to get fired so I'd be
eligible for unemployment while I looked to relocate.
For four months she tried to get me to quit, telling me daily what horrible person I was
and how no one liked me. Then she started taking accounts away from me and forcing me into
a negative income. I had watched her do this to six other people before me.
She always had to have a project. Finally, I wrote some derogatory remarks about her
in my account notes of another account she was taking away. Then she fired me.
Eighteen months later I found out the entire sales staff walked into her office and forced
her to quit. I couldn't help but smile when I heard the news."
John's Story
Fired: Homeless to Ph.D.
For others, unemployment can be devastating. John worked in an Adult Foster Home,
taking care of elderly men with Alzheimer's, while he worked on his degree. He was
paid a small salary and room and board.
"Nightmare,"
he states. "Is the only way to describe this situation. It was during finals
week and I had just had surgery the week before on my appendix. I knew the owner's
son had a drug problem with synthetic amphetamines. I believe the street term is
Crank, but I chose to ignore it. I needed the roof and the money. The people
we took care of were on welfare so the state conducted regular inspections. On one
inspection, they found the owner's son's pharmacy. We shared a bedroom. I was
blamed for the drugs and immediately dismissed when I returned back from classes.
Had the son been blamed, the home would have lost its license.
That night my girlfriend of six months dumped me too.
I found myself without a home, money or my belongings and lived in my car for the next
three weeks while I used the University's facilities to shower. I was so distraught
and stressed, I actually failed the final in my area of expertise. My mind went
completely blank and I couldn't answer a single question. I just stared at the page. Years
later, I did turn the owners in to the state welfare department, but I'm the only person I
know who was homeless for three weeks and that experience has profoundly effected me to
this day."
Jim's Story
From Layoff to CEO
In some ways, these stories are extremes. In others,
they are quite ordinary. Losing a job is a very personal experience and the effect
it takes on each financially and psychologically can range from non-existent to a person's
worst nightmare. It can also be the catalyst of major, positive change.
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