The future is bright

Last night I did more craft show prep. Double checking everything and finalizing after a half day of work today. The First part of the craft show is this evening from 6 to 9:30. I am excited, nervous, worried, apprehensive... I will be fine once it starts though.

I have been doing a lot of research. Research for freelance work, stock photography, travel photography, and research for my book. In addition to the craft show prep. I always seem to be looking several steps ahead. That used to not work so well for me, because my focus would never be on what's right NOW. But I'm getting to that point where I can give now my attention, and still have plans and thoughts for the future.

Know what I can tell you from all that? The future is bright! There are so many doors open to me, and the ones that aren't open, I most likely already have the key, I just need to use it. Life is absolutely amazing. I do realize we're in a depression. Our economy sucks. If you have not read my post about the economy, I urge you to do so.

Look for those open doors. And the ones that are locked? Search yourself for the key! It's in there!

Thinking Outside the Box

In a past life, I was a job developer for developmentally disabled adults. It was my job to assess their skills and find – or more commonly, create—employment for them. My favorite story from that life was for a young man, who we will call Joe.

Joe was born with muscular dystrophy. He was very heavy, had an electric wheelchair, and had partial use of one arm. He could feed himself, but all of his other needs were met by others. Joe began having increased behaviors in the day program and when asked could tell us that he really was not happy. I struggled to think of something for Joe to do. Finally, I put him to work shredding confidential documents. Confidentiality was not a problem because Joe could not read. The staff would divide the paper into piles that weighed a set amount, and keep Joe supplied. Joe would move up in front of the industrial shredder and feed the papers in, a few at a time, with his good arm.

We paid Joe per weight shredded. At first he was very slow, and his first check was somewhere around a dollar. When Joe received that check, he got tears in his eyes. He came up to me and he was grinning wildly. He wanted to buy me a hamburger! It was the first paycheck that this thirty-something year old man had ever received and his self-worth had skyrocketed!
Joe’s speed increased, and he was a very hard worker. He began receiving larger and larger paychecks. For the most part, his behaviors stopped. Instead of sitting around, trying to amuse himself, or having staff try to amuse him, he was now a working man.

I think my past lives have a lot to do with my attitude about the economy. I made a living out of thinking outside the box. Recently I was speaking to someone who was laid off. He knew the lay off was temporary, but needed to come up with some sort of gainful temporary employment in the meantime. It’s all about keeping your head above water! We discussed skills he had and resources available. In the end, it was all unnecessary because work resumed quickly.
What I’ve recently learned is this: In this economy, we don’t have the luxury of wallowing in self pity or getting depressed. We need to act, and act quickly. It’s a very slippery slope anymore. I have several game plans to put into place if my job situation goes awry. I urge you to do the same.

Make a list of your skills. If you are a parent, don’t forget the day to day things you do. Things like budgeting, food prep, cleaning, caregiving, shopping, etc. Make a list of your resources. There is always unemployment, the food bank, welfare services.

Let’s say you are a parent who has made a living working as a secretary. Your skills include all of the above plus typing, filing, time management, conflict resolution, computer skills, 10-key, basic repair services, troubleshooting, and so many more.

I once got a call for an interview at a Mongolian grill type place. It was after 6 years of being a stay at home mom. When asked on the application what qualified me for that position, I put that I had kept my family alive all those years! They were impressed by my candor and called me for an interview. Luckily for me, however, I was called on the first day of my job that led to my job developer position. My husband took the phone call and told them that he was looking for employment. They hired him!

That was a side story . Back to you as a secretarial parent. Your skills qualify you for not only secretarial positions but a slew of caregiver jobs, personal shopper positions, food prep, office management, fast food (all positions, including management), and so many more. When you are forced into a corner, think outside the box. Not all are going to be your dream job. Some will seem like miles backwards.

When I got that job as a caregiver for developmentally delayed adults, I worked in a day program. The job was not glamorous, nor was it always rewarding. I wiped noses, I changed diapers, I spoon-fed people. But I also taught a girl who they said ‘had no communication’ some basic sign language. And it worked into a position where I became the job developer!
So that’s the next big suggestion I have. Don’t be picky. Go out there, take something that brings home a paycheck, work every day thinking outside the box and you never know where it will lead!! We can all make it through, despite the economy.

The Economy

I’ve been meaning to write a blog post about the economy for awhile. The economy is affecting the bulk of us in some way, either directly or indirectly. I know a few people who have had to get second jobs, some people who are downsizing their living arrangements. And some people who seem devastated by the economy. I can honestly say those (who seem devastated by it) that I know… they are devastated by everything. So they don’t really count in this scenario, because even if life is going along swimmingly, they don’t get that either.

I have always been a survivor. Not necessarily one to make waves, or execute grand change in the big picture. But I will come out of things just fine, thank you very much. The difference, I believe, is my attitude. I have the ability to think outside the box, and to know that there’s always a little more I can do.

I read an article yesterday titled "It’s not the economy". It was one of the best messages I’ve read in awhile, totally pertinent to me—selling items online. Even if you don’t sell online though, I urge you to read it.

I am surrounded by negativity about the economy. I went on a news fast long ago, however when you live with someone who watches the news, tracks cnn.com, etc. and insists on discussing it, it’s difficult to ignore (though I must admit I usually tune it out). Same thing at work, plus I’m in a construction field and jobs have dropped off the map.

So… negativity is swirling all around me. Lots of days my online shop has no sales. I have hours of idle time at work (really though, that’s just more time for me to market my shop). I hear on a daily basis both from work and from home what the stock market is doing. Yet, inside, I stay upbeat. I remain hopeful.

I honestly believe that attitude can bring on karmic retribution. If you are a downhearted, self-piteous bastard, I really think life’s gonna throw those lemons at you hard and fast. Why wouldn’t it??? You expect it. Conversely, if you can see that the economy is down right now, but still be thankful for each and everything you have, and be constantly working to improve your skills and work habits, then my belief is that you’ll be fine.

So… are you a glass is half empty kinda person? If so, I have a question for you. Why do you insist on talking about that constantly? Is it your goal to bring everyone down to your way of thinking? I can tell you right now that I won’t be joining you any time in the future. So, if you only want pity, keep on walking by. If you’d like to have an honest exchange of ideas (not some self-pitying rant disguised as a plea for help), please comment. That train of thought does not have to continue, really.

Are you a glass half full kind of person? Then I have a question for you. What do you do to counter the negativity? How do you think outside the box to compensate for what’s going on in the economy, in your jobs, in your homes, etc. I’d love to hear some ideas, some thoughts, and I can tell you already that I will be doing a follow up post to this.

I you agreed, or disagreed with anything I’ve said, please let me know. If you think this would be relevant to anyone you know, please link to it. Let’s get a conversation started, let’s network and band together. Let’s throw our ideas into the pot and cook up a stew, and then let’s serve it to all who need it. What say you?