The 3 Secrets to Surviving Hard Times

Feb. 17, 2009 - PRLog -- People are out of work and struggling to survive. Businesses are failing or being purchased for less than their true value.  People who once had a lot of wealth in the stock market are now desperate to just hold on to what they have left. Those who are employed or that have profitable businesses know that there is no guarantee it will be that way tomorrow.  All of this adds pressure to our love relationships, fear that we can’t provide for our families, and grave concern for what might happen next.  The following are the secrets to surviving hard times.

1.  Take Action on the Things You Control

Don’t let your ego keep you broke. Be prepared to take lesser paying jobs or multiple jobs to fill the income gap until you can find the position you ultimately desire.  Your value as a person has nothing to do with your earning potential.  So, don’t feel like less of a person because you have to take an undesirable position temporarily until things get better.

Budget big time.  You must understand how much you are spending and what you are spending it on. Whether you currently have an income or not, you either need cash right now or should be saving cash in the event things change for you in the future. Spend on needs.  Postpone wants.  Buy sale items and find coupons in circulars, on line and in the newspaper.  A daily cup of your favorite coffee at $3 or more per day can equal more than $90 in a typical month.  That could be food for your family for a week or more.  Where else can you reallocate funds?  You won’t know until you track it.

Make job searching your full time job.  If you are out of work or think you will be soon, make finding another job a temporary career.  Your resume must be current, clear, and free of typos.  Every day, send out 20 resumes or apply for 20 jobs.  Use the internet, the newspapers, walk into businesses, network with friends, and track down old employers.  Follow up on every lead and don’t give up.  In this market, there will be many no’s, but 1 yes can make all the difference.  Remember that you are looking for your 1 yes.  Dress sharply for interviews and send thank you letters or emails.  Take all feedback seriously.  If you are told that you were not successful in getting a position, ask them “who do you know that is also hiring for similar positions?”

Bring your “A Game” to everything you do at your current job or business.  Think of new ways to save or make money for your employers and customers.  Become the person that identifies and solves problems.  Providing the most value may be the difference between you and someone else being laid off at the next decision point.

Help others.  In addition to just being the right thing to do, helping another may turn into an opportunity for yourself as well.  Help with your skills, knowledge, or finances if you can right now.  Assisting others also helps you remain optimistic about your situation.

Remain optimistic.  Your attitude affects your judgment, and how you do what you do.  A negative mindset can cause you to say or do something to negatively impact opportunities, family, or your motivation. More than anything else, remain optimistic for your current situation and your future.

2.  Understand What You Influence

You influence job decisions, but don’t control them.  You can be the most qualified person when applying and interviewing for a job and still not get it.  Therefore, you influence your standing in a potential employers mind, but they make the ultimate decision.  Put your energy into making the best presentation possible.  That’s where you have the most influence.  However, you have no control over the results.

Your attitude will influence how you and your loved ones view your situation.  An attitude of optimism and gratitude will allow others to remain motivated to improve the situation.  Optimism keeps a positive outlook.  Gratitude allows you to focus on what is going well rather than on what is going wrong.  Likewise, an attitude of hopelessness will influence you and your loved ones.  When one feels hopeless, they often resort to inaction.  People may stop assisting in your search or offering to help you.  You can best influence others by remaining positive.  Continue to search for ways to improve your situation and others will be more inclined to help you.

Your customers do business with you based on their confidence in you.  While you don’t directly control their opinions, there is influence that you can exert.  Find out what problems your customers have, and then offer services to solve them.  Be polite, respectful, and go above and beyond.  Understand what your customers find most important, and then make that your priority as well.  

Local, state, and federal politicians represent their constituents.  That’s you.  While they will vote on policies based on what they think their constituents want, their ultimate decision lies with them.  You do not control the decisions your politicians make on your behalf.  However, you can influence them.  Everyone seems to have a point of view related to the Economic Stimulus Package and the funds set aside to assist banks with lending.  Write and call your government representatives.  Tell them your story and how you are ideas.  Join groups that help to create a louder voice for your representatives to listen to.  Then remember to vote in the next elections based on the their performance.

3.  Don’t Waste Time With Things You Don’t Control or Influence

The Economic Stimulus Package may provide some relief to you in the coming months and years.  However, you don’t control how and when money and jobs will come to your region or your areas of expertise.  Instead of focusing on how this bill may or may not impact you, stick to the plan.  Engage in action that will help your family rather than pondering when you will feel the results of government action.

The media is doing a great job of covering the current state of the economy from every possible angle.  They include stories of desperation and hardship at the personal, business, and local government levels.  The story continues to state that things will get worst before it gets better.  We all know this story now.  It may be time to turn off the news or at least watch much less of it now.  You don’t control the content of the media.  The current content seems to be taking an increasing negative slant.  This is exactly what you don’t need right now.  Determine for yourself if watching and reading the news is helping or hurting your efforts at survival.  If it is hurting, then stop.

There are people in your life that want to commiserate about how bad things are rather than discussing options to make things better.  They may have reached the stage of hopelessness, and don’t want to be convinced otherwise.  They are at the point where you can’t influence their way of thinking.  Also, you may be in danger of being negatively impacted by them.  You may need to alter what you discuss or how often you speak to them to keep your attitude as optimistic and solutions-focused as possible.  Your best influence of them may be to improve your situation first and then show them with proof how they can do the same.

You do not control results.  You only control what you do in response to them.  Don’t dwell on the results you receive.  Instead, find the lessons to learn within the results to tweak your action plan going forward.  Dwelling on results, good or bad, is inactivity due to pre-occupation.

# # #

James LeGrand is the publisher of www.SpiritualIndividual.com, a free weekly newsletter that presents solutions to life’s issues through the lens of self-help, wisdom, philosophy and spirituality. He is the author of an Amazon.com best seller in Religion and Spirituality titled "Evolve!", and an Expert Author with www.EzineArticles.com. James LeGrand is also a life coach, a Fortune 500 Vice President, and a Sifu in Shaolin Kungfu, which has been known for centuries as a pathway to spiritual enlightenment.