 Stress and anxiety will take its toll if you don't have a plan. | I'm sure by now you have seen my statement, "Rethink the Pattern to Fit Your Ideas & Dreams". Because I do not care for self interview questions in writing I will skip that and get right to the point today. It takes a lot of planning, sacrifice, sleepless nights, anxiety and stress to rethink any plan that is worth the time. The plan which gave birth to my mission and vision was our personal plan to rescue us from near disastrous consequences nine months ago. We knew if we didn't have some form of action plan, A-Z, we wouldn't make it and the stress and anxiety would take its toll on both of us. |
| What Doesn't Work 1. Not having a plan. When you find yourself in the spot of no job which means no income, loss of home, car, cell service and internet, you have to launch a plan. Any plan is better than none! 2. Panic. It never fails; you can't think or make a plan when you panic. 3. Borrowing more to stay afloat. A huge mistake! Old rule of thumb, never borrow more than your income can handle. You have no income, so don't borrow. This is where DIY comes in handy... |  |
What Works
1. Don't Panic! Stay calm, go about your daily routine (get up, dress, coffee, breakfast, etc.). During the day you will be busy enough with job seeking, planning and more planning. Being ready for the business of the day starts with a good routine.
2. Make a Plan (A-Z). This is your job now while looking for a solution(s) to whatever disaster(s) facing you. Assessing what you have, what you need, what you can do without, what you have for skill sets and perhaps what you can sell for temporary income (notice the "s" added - Murphy always brings his friends...remember?).
3. DIY. I cannot speak enough on how DIY saved us a large amount of money and frustration. What we didn't know how to do, we learned through self - education. What we didn't need, we didn't worry about and we didn't borrow the money for those wants. We made do with what we had (and still do). A bonus with DIY: It brings you closer as a couple/family when you work on projects together.
1. Don't Panic! Stay calm, go about your daily routine (get up, dress, coffee, breakfast, etc.). During the day you will be busy enough with job seeking, planning and more planning. Being ready for the business of the day starts with a good routine.
2. Make a Plan (A-Z). This is your job now while looking for a solution(s) to whatever disaster(s) facing you. Assessing what you have, what you need, what you can do without, what you have for skill sets and perhaps what you can sell for temporary income (notice the "s" added - Murphy always brings his friends...remember?).
3. DIY. I cannot speak enough on how DIY saved us a large amount of money and frustration. What we didn't know how to do, we learned through self - education. What we didn't need, we didn't worry about and we didn't borrow the money for those wants. We made do with what we had (and still do). A bonus with DIY: It brings you closer as a couple/family when you work on projects together.
| Let's Get Started Now you have a brief idea of what works, there is one more vital piece: Leave Excuses Outside. There is no choice here. Excuses kill all of the best laid plans. Here are some of the more common excuses I've heard followed by the solution(s): 1. I can't write a resume or cover letter. No one ever showed me. * Libraries and the Internet offer wonderful samples of both. If you don't have the internet, your local library does. 2. I can't get to the library, or, Our town doesn't have a library. * Check with family members or friends to see if they have the internet or can take you to the library in return for a small task you can do for them (babysit, wash the car, mow the yard, shovel snow, etc.). |  See where I'm going with this? There are no excuses...leave them outside. |
Step 1. Make Your Plan | In a journal (make one from paper stapled together if you don't have one) write out all your options. Nothing fancy and for heavens sake this isn't a graded paper! Just write those thoughts and ideas down! It takes the stress and anxiety out of the situation when you see it on paper. My husband bought me a large journal and colored pens where daily I'm writing plans, thoughts, ideas, inspirations, leads and more. When you make your plan, go beyond the budget. Be sure to include all environmental factors (housing, transportation, where you live - is it rural?) and include your what you can and cannot do (skill sets). This will help you think out of the box and rethink your plan. Do you have a trade or hobby you can explore as an optional career move? Do you need to move? What can you do with the space you have in your home? What can you make instead of buying in the store? What are your needs vs wants? Again, no excuses! If you have a few excuses, write them down as well and then write a solution next to it. |
Step 2. Put your Plan to ActionDIY Sites I frequently use: www.tipjunkie.com www.diynetwork.com www.craftbits.com www.allrecipes.com  Bonus: Fresh herbs provide health benefits, make bland meals taste wonderful and we're losing weight! | Here is where you start putting your plans into action. If A doesn't work then move to B, etc. There is always a solution and one of the best ones I have found is staying active and productive. Writing your plans, ideas and thoughts is great, but you have to put something into action. Start small. It is probably an immediate need to make budget cuts so why not start by some DIY projects? Our budget was cut in half and I found myself looking for all the DIY projects I could to make gifts for Christmas, presents for Birthdays and other celebrations that were coming up fast. House cleaners take a large percentage of anyone's shopping/grocery bill so I found ways to make a large portion of the cleaners and other items we use daily. We also cut back on the grocery bill by cooking more and eating out less and we grow our own herbs and make our own breads (a bottle of crushed Rosemary starts at $4.98 in a national super store!) saving us more money. I can't imagine where we would be now if I had not put into action the plans, the DIY skills and self education. Use your skills in sewing, needlework, hobbies, carpentry, cooking,gardening and more to create what you need. You will find an amazing sense of self-worth and strong sense of pride in your accomplishments as you meet each goal you set when you start small. |
Step 3. Rethink the Plan Plans are always evolving and shifting in direction; are you ready to shift in a new direction with it? | Any good plan will need adjustments. Be prepared to move to Plan C, D, E, etc. It will happen, trust me. You can avoid plan disasters by assuring you have all required materials or suitable materials if working on a DIY project. If it's your budget and you still are short each month, rethink the plan. Perhaps you have put in more than 50 applications and no calls or job offers. That may be a sign to rethink the plan and look at a whole new career field or maybe school is right for you. Perhaps your interview clothes are outdated if the last time you interviewed was 15 or more years ago. Rethink the plan for your attire. Are there unnecessary pieces of furniture in your home, taking up space you could be using for a home business? Rethink your arrangement plan. Can you create your own home office space? Rethink and re-purpose your plans. |
I realize this is all overly simplified but it's intended to get you - the young family, persons recently unemployed, families facing health challenges - into the mode of thinking about making a plan. We may think we have one, a good one in fact - enter Murphy & his cousin, Mayhem who will leave you with more anxiety and stress than you need. Take time to rethink the plan using your ideas, dreams and goals.
Wishing you much inspiration and success today!
Sher
Wishing you much inspiration and success today!
Sher
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