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What we can learn from unemployment, the teachable moments
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AP Photo / Mike Rice
As unemployment extends on far past expected timeframes, it’s often very difficult to find positive moments. If we look at the entire unemployment experience, what we find is that there really are teachable moments even in the midst of hard times. These are the moments that we can learn about the value of life. We can learn how to handle both good and bad times. We can learn how to remain positive in the face of adversity. Here are some of the lessons we can learn:
Positive thinking can lead to finding creative solutions to difficult problems. When resources are limited, it becomes necessary to find new and creative ways of making ends meet. This includes everything from finding ways to entertain ourselves free of charge to figuring out how to make groceries stretch. Remaining positive about the current situation will open the mind to finding solutions to everyday challenges.
Self worth is not dependent on status or job titles. Everyone from the CEO to the maintenance staff is important. Nothing can change someone’s status faster than extended unemployment. The change from having it all to having nothing can happen almost overnight. More and more people are finding themselves in this situation. By teaching our family that self worth is more important than status and job titles, the fall will not seem as great when hit with hard times.
Just because you have not, does not mean that you are not. Just because money may not be readily available does not make you less of a person. If you find that your supply of friends is dwindling as fast as your bank account, it’s quite possible that they were never your friends to begin with.
You don’t need a job to make an impact on the world. Your job may have made a huge impact on some aspect of your community. It doesn’t mean that you can’t continue to make a difference. Consider volunteering to a charity to provide someone in a worse situation the benefit of your skills or knowledge. Remember that no matter how dire your situation, there are people that are worse off than you could ever possibly be. You may not believe it now, but it’s true.
When times are tough, it’s hard to believe that unemployment can actually contain learning moments. If you have children this is a perfect opportunity to teach important values on handling adversity. Unemployment can teach us about life values even if we don’t have a family. Unemployment can teach us not to lose sight of the values that are really important.
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