Rising from the Ashes- A Dedication to the Millions of People laid off…
In light of the Easter Holiday weekend and having time to reflect over the growing news of hardship faced by laid-off Americans and people worldwide, I thought it was time to share some personal experiences that helped me rise to new levels. I myself, have fought through two adversities averaging 1 year each in the last 10 years where I was able to transform myself from job-less to a job-creator, against all odds.
10 Ways to Bounce Back
- Hit back at Pessimism: Avoid negative outlets, this includes reading/listening to the news or people in your life who are whiners and pessimists… this may be family members, friends, or people you consider close. Just avoid being in proximity to them and any limit interaction, they will only bring victim mentality to you and that’s the last thing you want! We always have 2 wolves in our head fighting every day, the one you feed the most is the one who will win.
- Self-Discipline – make a daily schedule and stick to it routinely, it can be 8 hours or 5 hours of productivity but what you make stick to it, no exception 7 days a week not 5 days a week.
- Matter over Mind: Commonly we hear to keep “mind over matter”, but it is equally important to balance it with “matter over mind”. A simple way to think about matter over mind is to smile in front of a mirror and watch yourself for 15 seconds, it will start to infuse positive thoughts in the mind. In my case, I forced myself to wear business casual outfits certain days a week while at home and kept a daily routine instead of lounging around in pajamas. It’s amazing how it helped my resolve!
- Learn, Learn and Learn: Read all the books you never had time to, learn new skills online you never had time to, listen to all the blogs and podcasts you wanted to, work on your hobbies. In my case, since I always dreamed of building a company, I focused on reading books on entrepreneurship, product management, accounting, building a company, and subscribed to all bogs related to it.
- Manage Finances: Create an excel sheet of all expenses over the last few months and start to cut where possible with the goal of how to survive for the next year with your current condition. You will be surprised when you see all your expenses objectively in one place, your survival instincts will guide you to see some expenses which can truly be cut. In my case, my expense on food averaged to $200 a week in good times, I brought it down to $50 a week, saving $150 per week.
“Money you save, is the money you earn”
- Find your inspiration: Dedicate 30 minutes a day to something that inspires you. It can be looking up inspirational quotes (a simple Google search can help) or looking into social causes you care about. These can function as a feel-good factors but if you keep in mind the things that inspire you on a daily basis, it will build mental toughness which is a must-have to fight the onslaught of attacks.
- Avoid temporary Stress Relievers: No matter what, do not drink alcohol or use stress relieving drugs (unless your doctor says your body needs it). They add no value and only add to a false sense of hope. In my case, I never drank alcohol or let it become my weakness to fight adversity.
- Embed positivity in your own daily habit(s): Always know, some days will be worse than others. The time frame of adversity is out of your control and has no end date. What’s in your control is preparing everyday with the hope for when it does turn around that you are professionally and personally ready to rise and shine! Personally, I have a habit of reading horoscopes daily and as expected some days they have positive and other negative predictions. I gravitated towards one in particular that had this sentence at the end which became another source for inspiration:
“Keep the Faith… Better Days and Higher Love are comin’ soon…”
- Go to your Emotional Powerhouse: Connect once a week with your “Emotional Power houses”… this could be God, your parents, or a person who always has your best interest. Share your worries with them only. You need positive re-enforcement and a lot of it!
- Practice Faith: I am not saying believe in GOD , that’s your personal preference, what I am saying is put your faith in something, it can be GOD, a hope for future, a dream, it can be anything. The key is to put faith in something you believe in, it will help you pivot.
In the end, stay safe, wash your hands and I want to end by sharing a beautiful quote I read today:
“Life will test you but remember this, when you walk up a mountain your legs get stronger”
