How Do I Cope with Losing My Job?Someone said, "When you fall down, look around. You may discover something you couldn't see when you were standing up."
Indeed, crisis can create opportunity. If we can avoid negative thinking, we may find opportunities when we're jobless that we wouldn't have found otherwise. A positive attitude and commitment can bring unexpected results.
What is commitment? David McNally said, "It is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down." In Late Bloomers, Brendan Gill lists numerous examples of people who started and developed lucrative careers after age sixty-five.
Many people have been successful when the odds were against them. I think of the philanthropist who helped me through medical school. He sweated bullets whenever he had to sign a check, which was a laborious task for him. When this man had emigrated from Russia in 1920, he sought employment and applied for a job as caretaker of a small synagogue. He was turned down because he could not sign his name, and this would be necessary if he were to receive deliveries.
So he found work with a man who collected scrap metal and rags, and eventually was able to get his own horse and wagon. A clever businessman, he was soon able to buy a few properties. He survived the Great Depression and made some very successful investments. When I met him in 1950, he was a very wealthy philanthropist.
This man helped pay my medical school tuition. His secretary would write the check, and with great effort, he would sign it. He smiled and said, "Good thing I don't know how to write. If I could have signed my name, I would have become a caretaker of a synagogue and could not help you with your medical school."
Sometimes we may miss an opportunity because our minds are set on doing things a certain way and we resist change. In fact, there is scientific evidence showing that when a person is forced to change a fundamental belief or opinion, the brain undergoes a series of nervous sensations equivalent to torture. It has been said, 'The toughest thing to change is our approach to change. Expect change; it is inevitable. Your decision is to decide whether it is to be by consent or coercion.' Do you have some valuable ideas, but lack the confidence to try them? Don't be afraid. Remember, a baseball player who has a .300 average makes millions, but he hits safely only three times out of ten!
Excerpted from Without a Job, Who Am I? by Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.
Without a Job, Who Am I?
Rebuilding Your Self When You've Lost Your Job, Home, or Life Savings
Softcover, 156 pp.Whether you are out of work or money, or are afraid of ending up there, Without a Job, Who Am I? offers a system of support to help you stay motivated and persevere, as well as develop and sustain lasting values and a solid sense of identity no matter what your material circumstances happen to be.
List Price: $14.95
Online Price: $13.45
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