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CHOICES:
What
Do You Want to Do?
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Get
a Life!
In a time of high job insecurity, huge
layoffs and corporate down-sizing, it may seem crazy
to even think about leaving your job. But the thought
has crossed your mind, hasn't it? A devilishly wicked
thought has been playing in your head — visions
of handing in your letter of resignation have been such
an appealing fantasy, you're half afraid of admitting
it to yourself.
Many
people today are doing exactly that. Why? To get
a life!
Because even if your job pays well, if you're not doing
what you really love, then it still feels like prison.
Perhaps even more so if it does pay well, because then
you think you'd have to be out of your mind to even
think about leaving. Other people certainly will. It's
the golden handcuffs, and even though we know
it, we're still afraid of slipping out of them.
Perhaps
it's not so surprising after all that this would be
everyone's #1 fantasy. Most people spend 40 hours each
week at work, another few (or not so few) stolen hours
of overtime or advanced preparation for upcoming meetings
or projects, long commutes, and how many more hours
just thinking about the week's demands ahead?
Add
to that number all the juggling you do to fit in your
real life around your work — things like
spending time with your family, coordinating your kids'
school life and activities, doctor and dentist appointments,
and other personal goals and commitments — and
the amount of time and stress that your job costs you
skyrockets.
September 11th acted like a trigger for many people.
For some it was the catalyst that made them re-evaluate
their priorities and values in life. What became important
again were the simple things: our personal happiness
or satisfaction, the well-being of our families, and
the ways we choose to spend our time. For a number of
people, the old way of living just wasn't cutting it.
It is because human beings seek meaning in their lives
that causes this re-examination of our values. Suddenly
men and women were at work, dealing with all the little
insignificant nuisances of their days — the petty
arguments, the turf wars, the inane processes, the mind-numbing
daily tasks, the value-less environment — and thought
to themselves, "This is Not My Life!"
Should
I Stay or Should I Go?
No
matter how appealing the fantasy of saying "Take
this job and shove it" is, you eventually come
back down to Earth and realize you need to work.
Or do you? Most people have to work. However, for some,
working may even be costing you more money than you
realize. If you are married with children, and both
husband and wife have an outside job, you should definitely
sit down and figure out the costs associated with that
second job. For some people, the costs just don't add
up:
What's
Your "PLAN B?"
Leaving your job may be exactly right for you. For others,
that may not be at all practical or possible. For many,
that choice may have already been made for them by way
of a lay-off.
Whatever
your situation, it should be apparent to you by now
that everybody needs a "Plan
B" should you suddenly find yourself unemployed.
"After
my company's second layoff in a year, I kept hearing
the same phrase over and over from coworkers and management
alike: 'We should be grateful we even have a job.'
Rather than feeling grateful, I started feeling pretty
resentful. Even though I knew many friends and good
employees were now on the street trying to find work,
I was secretly wondering who were really the lucky
ones — the ones staying, or the ones leaving?
The ones left behind would now have to deal with picking
up the slack, picking up dropped balls, and assuming
more job responsibilities. Was I supposed to feel
grateful that my workload was about to double, and
that I would be dealing with crisis everyday as we
made the necessary adjustments? I didn't feel grateful
at all. I felt the company should be thanking me more
than ever before for actually getting up every morning
to face the challenges of each day and work towards
their goals, not mine!"
What
Are Your Options?
Once
you start thinking about creating a new life, look into
all the ways that can look like. There's no cookie-cutter
approach to realizing our dreams. One formula may work
best for some and not for others. Here are just some
of your options:
- Start
a new business. Is there something you've
always wanted to? If you have the resources, you now
have the time to put your dream into action. RESOURCE:
Business Ideas.
- Become
a Consultant. Whether
self-employed or through a Consulting firm, if you
have expertise, this could be the way for you.
- Become
a Contractor. Offer
your services on a contractual basis, either as your
own freelance self-employed talent, or through a Contracting
agency.
- Teach.
Look into obtaining your teaching
certification, becoming a "visiting professor,"
or joining the staff of a training institute or career
development center. Compile a course outline, training
materials and a presentation, and offer it to corporations
as a freelancer. Start holding seminars in hotel conference
rooms — introductory and training classes —
get the word out via newspaper event listings and
word-of-mouth, and you're on your way.
- Buy
a franchise. Want
to start a business but not sure you know the ins-and-outs
of doing it or running it? Then a franchise, with
it's clear-cut guidelines, training and formulas may
be just right for you.
- Buy
an established business. If you've always wanted
to have your own sandwich shop or scrapbooking store,
there are many opportunities out there.
- Start
a part-time business "on the side."
Start working a plan to get that potentially lucrative
hobby generating a little extra income, or start investigating
how to get your great invention
manufactured and marketed. Test the waters. Look into
the possibilities of getting
something going on the side that may turn into a huge
success.
It's
All About Choices
- It's
about the freedom to choose how you will live your
life.
- It's
about your priorities and what's important to you.
- It's
about how you want to spend your time — a lot
of it!
- If
not now, then when? How long will you put off your
happiness, your sense of purpose? A day? A week? A
year? A lifetime? The sooner you start ...
- You
deserve a better life, and you can have
a better, more rewarding life.
- New
Year's Resolution: A Brand New Life!
This
is the purpose of PlanetB.biz ... a place that
hopes to provide you with the resources, motivation
and encouragement to help you be more successful in
your life. It is not about leaving your job — it
is about presenting you with your options. It is about
helping you make plans, and giving you the tools to
be able to make your own personal goals come true! PlanetB.biz
is an information hub, your source of inspiration
and motivation to create the life you've always wanted.
We're
glad you found us!
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