Surviving Christmas While Unemployed

With the holidays right around the corner I thought I would share a few ideas on how to keep your mental health and save a few dollars.


1 – Instead of sending Christmas Cards, call everyone on your list. We all have free nights and weekends on our cell phone, so use them. Don’t focus on your situation, but ask how they are doing, what is new, how are the kids, etc.
2 – Only purchase gifts for the younger children or grandchildren. Your adult relatives and friends all know that you are in transition and that your financial resources may be limited. Agree up front not to exchange gifts this year.
3 – Teach your children the real meaning of the season. Ask them if you can donate to a charitable cause instead of buying them tons of gifts. A small donation to the cause of your choice in their name is far more memorable than the latest Wii game. Let them decide on the charity, Heifer Int’l, Salvation Army, Food Bank, Pet Shelter, or religious based charities are all good causes.
4- Volunteer your time somewhere and include your family. Consider contacting a nursing home to see if they need help. You could go and read to someone who can’t anymore, or just visit and learn about what they did at the holidays as a child. Consider tutoring school age children. You probably have a great knowledge base and can definitely impact a child’s future.
5 – Limit your time at family events. Many of us have relatives that just don’t understand the current job market and will ask why you haven’t found work yet. Others may have just purchased a new house/car/boat or traveled on vacations while you have been counting every penny to pay the bills. . Avoid long discussions about your job search and focus on them instead. By limiting your time, you limit your exposure to these influences.
6 – Throw out the Sunday paper color guts. If you are not shopping for gifts, don’t tempt yourself with all the fancy electronics and gadgets that you can’t afford right now. It will only make you depressed.
7 – Make of list of everything you DO have. Most likely you have many things to be thankful about, your health, home, family and support group.
8 – Stay focused on your job search. I won’t dwell on this since there have been many articles about this subject in the newspapers, on the web, and as discussions on LinkedIn.


So there you have it. These are just a few suggestions to get you going and I’m sure you can easily add more.

What am I doing to survive this holiday season? My wife and I have agreed to limit our gifts to each other. We will each only purchase a few items and then they need to be useful items such as socks, sweats, t-shirts, etc. I have been trying to give of myself by hosting a networking breakfast for my job seekers group and will be playing “Santa Claus” to the same group this week. I have solicited donations to use as prizes, obtained some games for us to play, and my church choir is baking cookies for the event. It won’t be “over the top” but everybody will go home with at least a little something. As I have heard how some of the members are struggling to survive not only Christmas but the coming months I felt I needed to give of myself in some small way to help lift the spirits of my new found friends.

Merry Christmas and I hope that all of you have a wonderful and prosperous New Year!

Are You A Susan Boyle?

Susan Boyle, the unknown singer from Scotland who last year inspired the world with her rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” on “Britian’s Got Talent” has again rocked the world. Her new album has sold more than 700,000 copies in the first week out selling giants such as U2, Eminem and Snoop Dog. (Thanks to Connie Schultz of the Cleveland Plain Dealer for these statistics.) Who would think that a 40 something unemployed women could have such amazing talents?

Well, there are many Susan Boyle’s out there. We may not be singers, but we are over 40, unemployed, not stunningly beautiful and maybe even a little frumpy looking. But guess what. We are ready to ROCK THE WORLD. We too have talents that are not being recognized by potential employers. Our resumes are being spit out by automated parameters. Hiring managers do not return our phone calls. Maybe we don’t have a degree or it is not viewed as coming from the right school or proper background. Age discrimination may be taking place as well, but we are still here.

In my case I know I have many skills that an employer should be interested. I am a leader. I can hire, train and motivate a team to exceed sales goals. I create loyalty to me among my employees. I am computer literate. I have managed a $50 million territory. I can establish relationships with my customers that lead to additional sales. I can solve problems when they occur. I can see a project through from start to finish. I know how to seek help when I need it and smart enough to recognize that I don’t know it all. I am a team player who is not afraid to express my thoughts and ideas, willing to argue my point, and then go forward with the team’s decision even if it was not what I thought we should do. I am dedicated to my job and will do what it takes to get it done on time and on budget.

I too am a Susan Boyle (just not female!)

We too are ready to rock the world. We’re just waiting to be found. So what are you waiting for?

Life is good!