Posts Tagged ‘a-small-budget’

How to Generate Income and stay Positive when you have no Job – Part 1

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

“’With no job and 5 kids, ‘better to end our lives’, man wrote”.. with such horrendous stories coming up recently, it is time we thought more on this 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.

Update: Part 2 is online. See How to Generate Income and stay Positive when you have no Job – Part 2

Related Posts:

How to Generate Income and stay Positive when you have no Job – Part 2
What to do after a Layoff
Accepting and Dealing with a Layoff
Best Jobs to have during Recession
Post Layoff 5 Step Successful Comeback Plan
How to be Optimistic during the Job Search Process
Who all to Contact when Looking for a Job
In Job / Career Transition? Is your Family Supporting you?

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THE LEADERSHIP CODE – A Book Review

Monday, January 26th, 2009

“While we can stipulate that leadership matters and that we know it when we encounter it, it is much more difficult to find the elusive answer to the simple question, ‘What makes an effective leader?’”, the authors explain.

After examining hundreds of frameworks, studies, and philosophies developed by multiple generations of leadership experts, and asking that same question to experienced CEOs, respected academics, and leadership researchers, the authors discovered that all effective leaders take into account the long term and the short term, the desired outcomes and the people, and the leader’s own values, skills and passions.

They all practice the following rules:
  • Great leaders answer the question, “where are we going?” They shape the future.

  • Great leaders translate strategy into action. They make things happen.

  • Great leaders know who they need around them to fulfill their strategy. They engage today’s talent.

  • Great leaders build a workforce for the future. They are human capital developers.

  • Great leaders always ask themselves: “Am I prepared for what’s next?” They invest in themselves by constantly learning.

THE LEADERSHIP CODE is authored by Dave Ulrich, Kate Sweetman, and Norm Smallwood and is yet another good addition to the leadership series books that are there on the book shelves. I recently finished reading this not-too-long book (180 pages of leadership wisdom) and have evolved to a better understanding on how to be an effective leader.

There were some chapters in this book that were to the mark and presents a simplified direction for the present day leaders. The two rules (or codes) that are specifically relevant to today’s scenario where the generation Millennial is taking on the workplace by millions; special focus must be on:

  • Rule 3 – Engage Today’s Talent and

  • Rule 4 – Build the Next Generation

In a few pages in these chapters, the authors sum up some key strategies for nurturing talent within a company which includes:

  • Good Communication

  • Creating a Positive Environment

  • Having fun at Work

  • Coaching and Mentoring

  • Delegating and Empowering

  • Sharing Incentives and

  • Encouraging Networks and relationships

Overall a good read and some of the topic already much read around again emphasize and rather define precisely on how you can be an effective leader. As one of the latest books on leadership I would have loved to see another chapter or a special reference and advice to the young Generation Millennial leaders on how they can be more effective at leading people of different generations, but well maybe in their next edition or as I write this another book on leadership would in print specially focused on the younger generation leaders.

On their website http://www.leadershipcodebook.com/ , the authors provide some practical advice and also some assessment tools that we can learn from and test our abilities on being an effective leader. As you go through the book, don’t shy away from highlighting and underlining some to-the-point and apt “how-to” and “what-to-do” to be a good leader. Also don’t ignore the self-assessments dispersed throughout the book; it holds a mirror to your face and at times it is required if you have been doing what you have been doing and getting the same results over and over again.

Are you an effective leader?
Happy reading!

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