Hard times are ahead and you have to take care of yourself. Sounds selfish, right? Well, truth be told, you’re worried about yourself. Many of us are worried about our livelihood and afraid of the future. The solution is to address these concerns directly. Psychology has shown us that you need to make sure that you and yours are taken care of before reaching out and caring about others. Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Make sure you have food and shelter before you become a Level 5 leader. (Maybe there’s a little Jim Collins mixed in in that last statement, but you get the point.)
Here are 10 ways to address your needs before you start trading with others:
1. Clean your own financial house first. Personal financial health is just as important as anything else right now. If you’re simply working to pay off money you owe someone else, it’s hard to motivate yourself to get up each morning. Pay off your credit cards and do everything you can to bring your balances to zero. Move to a lower interest rate. Reduce the size if necessary. Simplify and live below your means.
2. Set your “see you later” background. We can learn a lot from the restaurant industry. Smart waiters and waitresses have enough reserves to be able to pay the bills for the next three to six months. It’s your “see you later” money. This is money that can tie them up if they lose a job or if the job or a manager gets too much to bear. Most of us refer to this as an emergency fund. If you don’t have an emergency fund, do what you need and get one. Delay shopping, find a second job, sell things you don’t need, eliminate luxury spending, and be careful with eating out. With some careful spending, you can stretch this money, especially if supplemented with severance pay, unemployment payments, consulting, and part-time jobs.
3. Determine your net learning for the year. Yes, net learning, not earnings. If you had to go looking for a job tomorrow, would you be competitive and current? If you are wondering about your competitiveness, it may be time to enroll in a course or apply for a project to expose you to the necessary skill sets. Have you learned so much this year that you need to update your resume to reflect your achievements and the responsibility you’ve taken on? If not, find out what you should be doing to further your career. This competitive analysis of you will pay off not only if you have to find a job, but also if your employer is looking for employees to keep.
4. Build your earning potential. This is not just a survey about how much income you could earn in the world of work, but also what your company is earning. At this time, could you put a dollar amount to the amount you earned for your employer? Did you save the company money? Where did you make money for the company? It is essential to know how much the company recovers from its investment in you. Look at your salary and benefits and determine if you were to choose employees, would it be worth keeping? Maybe you know how to perform a skill that no one else knows. You may save the company money by not outsourcing your services. Perhaps you are a natural leader and motivator. Defining the things that make you valuable to your company will help you, whether you’re fighting for the job you have or interviewing for another.
5. Acknowledge yourself and others for contributions. Professionally and tactfully make sure people know what you’re doing. Find a way to let your boss and the company know the good things you’ve been doing. Recognize team members who have gone the extra mile. A little celebration and communication about good results goes a long way when the job is challenging.
6. Take good care of yourself. Times are stressful. This is an excellent opportunity to practice excellent self-care. Maybe you need to increase your exercise or vary the routine you have. Now may be the time to cut back on alcohol and make sure you’re getting a good night’s sleep, health experts recommend. Start taking vitamins. Check with your dentist and doctor. If you smoke and don’t want to, this may be the time to use the company’s employment assistance resources and quit. The same goes for your diet. If you are not satisfied with how you look or what you eat, use this time to change your eating habits. Eliminate what doesn’t work and start doing what you need. Stress takes its toll on your body. Find out what, if anything, needs to change and do it now.
7. Surround yourself with positive energy. Today might be the day to take a news vacation. Turn off the television and stop watching the market go down on the Internet. Instead, watch and listen for positive messages that can encourage and support. Take a walk in nature. Read an encouraging book. Make good memories with your family and friends. Look for the good. It’s out there.
8. Network with the guardians. Reconnect with your friends and business partners. Find out what others are doing and how you can be helpful. Avoid those energy drainers. The worryers, doomsayers, and negatively unbalanced are not only depressing, but can also be contagious. Instead of confused or emotionally challenged people looking for like minds, you should be surrounded by people who want you to succeed.
9. Be grateful for what is going well. There are many things that are good in your life right now. Make a list of 3-5 everyday things you are grateful for and write them down. Visit your church or your mosque or synagogue or place of worship regularly. Be thankful and appreciate what is right, right now.
10. Give back. It seems incoherent to tell you to help others in an article about yourself, doesn’t it? However, you will receive more than you give if you reach out to others. Someone always has it worse. This is the time to determine what you can do to improve your community. Clean out your closet, garage, attic, or storage unit and give what you don’t need to others. Visit the elderly. Help an explorer. Volunteer at a shelter. Repair a house. Clean up a park. Read to schoolchildren. Collect food. You know what to do, or you know someone who does. Spend your time and attention where it is needed. The ability to give shows you how much you have.