“’With no job and 5 kids, ‘better to end our lives’, man wrote”.. with such horrendous stories making headlines in recession, it is time we thought in-depth on the topic – How to generate income post layoff / or during job search process and also focus on how to remain positive during these tough times.

I am presenting this article in two parts – focusing on how you can generate small incomes when not in a full-time job and the other very important aspect is — how to remain positive and do the right things when the going gets tough. This post will be updated in the coming weeks with more ideas, in the hope that even if it helps or influences the lives of 10 odd families, it is much much worth it.
Before you even start thinking of how to generate extra income to sustain yourself and family, it is very important to have a healthy balanced mental outlook. Quoting from an article on my website:
“While the positive state of mind governed by positive emotions can do wonders in realizing one’s aspirations and goals, the negative frame of mind, harshly controlled by negative emotions, can cause havoc and destabilize, dislocate and demoralize a person to unimaginably lowly depths. Positive thinking and high morale can lead one to incredible heights of achievements and success, low morale and pessimistic outlook can drive people to ignoble defeats and tragic failure, one state of mind may lead to the path of fame and glory, the other may push one to hellish fire of sorrow and misery. Hope and faith may lead to incredible achievements.”

So for that reason I shall cover the money generation topic in the next post – part 2 of this article.

HOW TO STAY POSITIVE AND OPTIMISTIC WHEN YOU HAVE NO INCOME

An inspirational quote here:
As life becomes harder, it also becomes richer, because the fewer expectations we have, the more the good things of life become unexpected gifts which we accept with gratitude.
– Etty Hillesum

Here are some tips, please contribute yours to supplement this list:

  • Do not isolate yourself. Talk to your friends and those you connect to – just closing yourself to the world can do more harm and enhance depression
  • It is not your fault or someone else’s that you are out of job, do not fall in the guilt or blame cycle – think about what must be your next positive steps
  • Evaluate your spending – what can you cut down to save the few dollars, even those will matter in the long run. For example;
    — Cook meals at home in a small budget, or get together with other friends and families and eat together- you might save this way too..
    — Avail free food services – there are quite a few places in most cities where you can get free food for the family, for example Presbyterian Churches, Sikh Gurdwara Temples etc.
  • Listen to some inspirational audio once a week
  • Read a good/inspirational book every month
  • Dance alone or with your kids whenever you can – at least once a week
  • Think positive thoughts – a healthy mental state is very important to achieve anything

And if the list above does not convince you enough, think about all those who are in far much situation than yours and still fighting life smiling. Think about those affected by war or chronic disease.

DO NOT HARM YOURSELF OR OTHERS or indulge in other criminal activities, remember that this too will pass. Don’t let a wrong move today haunt you and your family forever.
Every crisis must teach us to do things better next time. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT?

What would you do different if it ever happens again? And the reason this is a good time to think about the future because we never get time from our daily routines to think about what we could do if things were different .. well this is the time. Use your time well and you will get out of it wiser.

Words of Wisdom from the Great Minds

Give the great thinkers of our times a chance to motivate you – those who have said more in few words:

“Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well through all the darkest valleys you must traverse. Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the mountaintop. So will you learn things in adversity that you would never have discovered without trouble. There is always a seed of good. Find it and prosper.”
— Og Mandino

“If you watch how nature deals with adversity, continually renewing itself, you can’t help but learn”
— Bernie Siegel
“If you live long enough, you’ll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you’ll be a better person. It’s how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.”
— Bill Clinton

 

“Tough times don’t last, tough people do, remember?”
— Gregory Peck
 

In the part 2 of this article, I will compile some ideas on how to generate money if you have no permanent job and getting one in near future seems isn’t likely. If you have ideas to share please do add to the comments below.