Unemployment Is the Universe's Way of Telling You to Try Something New

I recently did an electronic interview with www.asylum.com about my book Career Success Without a Real Job

There were 9 questions:

Here is Question #1:

Let's say Mr. X just got fired from the job he's had for six years. Right now the unemployment rate is at a whopping 9.5%. What's the silver lining for Mr. X here? What do you tell him so that doesn't think life is hopeless?

And here is my answer to Question #1:

Here are a few things Mr. X should consider:

(a) In the Chinese language, "crisis" and "opportunity" are the same characters. So substitute "opportunity" for "problem". When I got fired from my job over 28 years ago, it was very traumatic. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me. There are many other people who got fired and say the same thing. My getting canned was an opportunity to do something else. I wouldn't have the freedom and the success I have today if I hadn't gotten fired.

(b) Orson Scott Card said that "Unemployment is capitalism's way of getting you to plant a garden." So, in the midst of it all — don’t freak out just because you got laid off or fired. Sell the produce from your garden. Career experts say getting laid off can be nerve- racking, but it can also be a chance for reinvention. With careful planning and a clear head, you can use the period of adjustment to create a career in a new field and develop new skills.

(c) If you find yourself unemployed, a recession is a great time to create your own job or start one of many businesses to help the economy. This is a time to finally shut up about how much you know and show the world with action that you really know something that can make a difference in this world. Isn’t this the kind of bravado that Americans are supposed to be known for?

(d) Read my e-book 101 Reasons to love a Recession. It can be downloaded for free at these links:

http://www.real-success.ca/free_ebooks.html

101 Reasons to Love a Recession E-book

End: Here are some 5 telltale signs that you need to read Career Success Without a Real Job

You just may have to read Career Success Without a Real Job if your retirement plan is "to bide my time 'til I'm 90; then marry Sharon Stone."

You just may have to read Career Success Without a Real Job if you think that you have technical skills "that will take the bosses breath away.”

You just may have to read Career Success Without a Real Job if you say “I need money because I have bills to pay and I would like to have a life, go out partying, please my young wife with gifts, and have a menu entrée consisting of more than soup.”

You just may have to read Career Success Without a Real Job if you think that you should be hired because your twin brother / sister has a college degree.

You just may have to read Career Success Without a Real Job if your main career objective is that you “would like to work for a company that is very lax when it comes to tardiness.”