I lost my job. Now what?

Posted on April 19 2010

Over the past year, the economy has been difficult and many people have lost their jobs. This can be very devastating for people and their families. With any job loss comes additional stress of continuing financial obligations and the search for new work. This is where we may be more worried than we need to be. So many times, we get stuck in a routine and anything outside the routine makes us nervous. As with a job that we have known for sometime, it is difficult to think about doing anything else. However, if we take the time to think outside the box, we may find that we have been able to get a job or at least make an income all along. For example, if you are a sales person, just because you are used to selling one thing doesn’t mean you can’t learn to sell something else. You don’t have to only look to sell what you are used to. Take your skills and look into other options that require the same type of skills. Another idea is to consider your hobbies. Do you like to clean, build things, scrapbook? These are all skills that can be used to make an income whether it is doing the work (cleaning houses, cleaning office buildings, offering out labor to build various items small and large, etc.) or teaching others how to do it (scrapbooking, card making, etc). You just have to be willing to put yourself out there. Sometimes you may also have to let go of your pride and do something. Consider delivering newspapers, loading trucks, waiting tables, delivering pizzas. Anything you may not have considered before, give it a second look as these jobs may be the ones that are hiring. Temporary jobs to help you pay your financial obligations don’t have to be lifelong careers. Be creative and see what you come up with. Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything.”