Life is tough these days. Many have received lay-off notices and 
are facing truly tough times. The world around us is careening out of control --- we seek some sense of direction -- what's the next step??
My son reminded me of a rough patch we hit when he was in the 10th grade. I was a single parent and sometimes money just wasn’t there when it needed to be. We were in the middle of a downward spiral and it appeared we’d be living without any electricity for a few days. As my son was going to bed that night he asked me how we could survive. He recently recalled my answer:
“I don’t know what is going to happen. But I DO know this much: I will continue to put one foot in front of the other and something will happen to fix this mess. If I do nothing, all I am doing is digging us in deeper. As long as I keep moving forward -- sooner or later something will have to change -- hopefully for the better. We WILL get through this.”
Within a week I was offered some additional work which allowed us to resolve the matter."
My son is now the 37 year old father of a beautiful little girl --- and going through tough times of his own. He said many a morning he has wanted to stay in bed rather than face their financial woes. But he replays that conversation in his head and knows he has to continue moving forward.
I have a friend who reminds me periodically to “turn the boat around.” If getting to Point A is just too hard, maybe you 
should turn around and head for Point B. As every salmon knows, swimming upstream may serve a purpose, but one must decide if it’s really worth losing one’s life over. Sometimes it’s better to turn around and head in a new direction.
When I first moved to Denver from Michigan I used to look out the windows of my high-rise office at the Rocky Mountains. I could not imagine how people crossed those mountains in covered wagons. Off East Colfax there are statues commemorating the Frontier Women whose strength helped settled the Old West. They were a tough breed. How many ended up raising families without husbands or men-folk to help? What options did they have? After coming this far and leaving so much behind --- giving up was just not an option.
Now is the time to take a very honest inventory of your skills and abilities. I used to say I could pump gas (back when we had gas station attendants who did that) if necessary to put food on the table. It wasn’t what I was trained for. But then I had spent a summer packing pickles in a factory in Michigan. And at one point in my life I emptied bedpans for a living. Pumping gas didn't sound so bad in the grand scheme.
Once you have taken inventory of your knowledge, abilities and experiences, look around to see what jobs need doing in today’s world. Carve out a niche for yourself and move forward. There are a million “small” jobs out there just waiting for someone to discover them. Our aging society will present new challenges and opportunities for many. And companies will go without necessary services in order to cut overhead costs.
- Can you go shopping for folks who are homebound? I have an elderly friend who lives in a neighborhood that has been heavily burglarized. She’s afraid to leave her home to go grocery shopping for fear she’ll come back to find things missing.
- Doctor’s offices tell me a big problem for their elderly patients is getting reasonably priced rides to medical appointments. The price of gas has come down. Maybe you could fill in a few hours driving people to appointments.
- Dreamt for years of going off on your own as a consultant in your chosen field? This might be the time to do it. As a freelancer you provide a cost-savings to your clients. Think about it --- they don’t pay you benefits and you use your own office space and equipment. This is an immediate savings to your clients which you can market appropriately.
The key to survival lies in being flexible and in succeeding. The key to flexibility and success is in being a leader. Turn your 
boat around --- view this change as an opportunity --- as a challenge --- a mountain to be climbed. While others fall by the wayside, find new methods – new strategies – and keep marching forward. Set your goals and reach them.
And when you plant your flag atop that mountain you will know you have earned the respect of your peers --- this country was BUILT on the backs of individuals who were daring enough to follow their dreams. And that is what will get you and the rest of the country through these tough financial times now.
LEAD TO SUCCEED!
