service to others, such as housecleaning.
4. Live Within Your Means—Not Someone Else’s
A powerful tool in advertising is to create a “need”
that did not previously exist. Often you are made to
feel that everyone else (except you) is informed and
acting upon that need. ‘This is the style everyone is
wearing [except you].’ ‘The movie everyone is talking
about [so why haven’t you seen it?].’ ‘The car everyone is driving [when will you buy it?].’
1. Do Not Panic
When Dominick lost his job, he had to give his
house back to the bank and move his family in with his
mother. His advice is to remain calm, no matter how
extreme the situation may appear. “Job or no job, you
won’t dry up and blow away,” he says. “I honestly had
to learn that we weren’t all going to die.” Rather than
flooding the mind with worst-case scenarios, calmly
work at productive solutions.
2. Think Positive
Jim and Donna have four part-time jobs between
them. However, they earn less than Jim alone earned at
his previous full-time job. In spite of this, they have
accepted it as a teaching experience for their five children. Donna stated: “Without the problems they’d have
been better off in a material way. But they’d have
missed the pitfalls that teach you how to live.”
3. Open Your Mind to New Types of Work
Even white-collar workers can choose to change
professions and start over in new work. “People don’t
look at alternatives until they are forced to,” said
Laura, who was fired from an administrative job. “In
the ’90s,” she noted, “people have to learn to be more
flexible.” Trying to get the same type of work you are
accustomed to—or the same pay—may only weaken
your chances of finding work. This may at least partially explain why it often takes white-collar workers
longer to find work than it takes blue-collar workers.
So open your mind to the possibility of new types of
work. Many have had success offering some kind of
Similar persuasion may affect how we view and
spend money. A friend takes an expensive trip. Suddenly you need a vacation. Another friend purchases a
new car. Suddenly your car seems old, inadequate.
Becoming envious of what everyone else is doing will
only make you spend money you do not have, buying
things you do not really need. Avoid such selfdefeating comparisons.
Jim, the laid-off worker mentioned earlier, observed: “People crash when they can’t maintain the
lifestyle they think they want. You only need to worry
about food and shelter. The rest is truly irrelevant.” As
the Bible recommends ‘be content with sustenance and
covering.’
5. Be Careful With Credit
A credit card can be an asset, but it can also be your
greatest liability. Some use the credit card as a crutch.
They use it to bypass completely the ‘can I afford it?’
question. The card becomes a painkiller that lets you
spend without thinking about or feeling the effects of
losing money.
In recent years a virtual credit-card craze has enveloped many countries. What are the results? A computer
salesman from Korea who bought a new car with a
credit card summed up the matter: “When it is time to
settle my credit, I always feel terrible. It’s just as if I
gave that money away.” In Japan nearly half of all
those seeking financial counseling are in their 20’s.
The 140 million credit cards in that land are largely
held responsible for the huge debts of young people.
So be careful with a credit card. Use it, but do not
let it use you. Do not let it blind you to your true financial status. This will only add to the stress of losing a
job.
Barbados Building Report Tel: 624-2163 email: [email protected]
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