"Hunger is not the worst feature of unemployment; idleness is."
—Author Unknown
In recent times, one of the
most important issues in the world market has been that of
unemployment. Each and every country and its people have been a victim
of this issue and are struggling to somehow manage, survive and go
through this extremely rough period. Experienced people are losing
their jobs, the recently hired are being laid off and the already
unemployed see negligible hope of being employed and going forward with
their lives in a positive direction.
In these testing times,
unemployment is arguably one of the toughest and depressive situations
that one could ever experience. Only a person who goes through it knows
how difficult and hard it is. It is a situation where people lose their
identities, feel useless and fall to the lowest ebbs of depression.
Thomas
Carlyle says, "A man willing to work, and unable to find work, is
perhaps the saddest sight that fortune's inequality exhibits under this
sun".
It is a time where there are financial losses, loss of an
opportunity to gain more experience, loss of peace of mind, loss of
extremely valuable time and most importantly, a loss of one's sanity.
In
these circumstances, people tend to lose hope to an extent where they
start thinking that there is nothing left in their lives and this
situation would remain forever. Therefore, to survive in such testing
times is a huge challenge in itself where people not only need to have
the right attitude and the right mindset in order to prevent the damage
that this lean period brings but also to convert this into a positive
aspect and to be taken as an opportunity of a lifetime. People need to
act and take this life situation in their hands and do something that
is beneficial for them in the long haul.
Having been through
this horrid time myself, I know how tough it is. During my ordeal, I
figured different ways through which this period can be passed with
much more positivity and enthusiasm.
Let us see what some of the
different things there are that we can do to use this time
constructively so that we can change and propel our lives in a positive
and meaningful direction.
1. Give time to your familyFirst
of all, this precious time that GOD has gifted you with must be
utilized to the fullest and should be spent with your family as much as
possible. Life is hectic and tough and we seldom get the time to spend
quality time with our families and to show them our respect, love and
affection. Such times should be taken as a golden opportunity to let
your loved ones know how much you love them.
2. Relax, Rejuvenate and enjoy your timeOne
should try to relax, take the time off and rejuvenate. Exercise, go for
a walk, enjoy nature, observe the creations of GOD, energize yourself,
sleep well, eat well and take care of your mind, body and soul. Refresh
yourself and make up for all the stress you have been taking all these
years while you have been working hard and providing for your families
and for yourself. Enjoy the pleasures of life and be thankful.
3. Improve existing skillsTake
the time to learn and improve your existing skills. Use the time to
cover up your weaknesses. Attend seminars and workshops, learn computer
skills, practice and improve languages, complete distant academic
courses and refresh the existing skills. Once you utilize this time to
the best of your abilities, you would be able to put them to use and in
practice as soon as you get your feet into a new challenge. The hard
times will not remain forever and these skills will take you a long
way, personally as well as professionally.
4. Indulge in healthy activitiesPursue
your passion and play a sport that you have always wanted to learn.
Maybe you have lost touch of the sport you had loved in school and
never got the time to pursue once you got into your practical life.
Fall in love with that sport all over again, be a kid, enjoy the little
successes and feel proud of your skills and abilities. I assure you, it
feels great.
5. Conduct a SWOT analysis of your lifeCarry
out a SWOT analysis of your life. Map out on a piece of paper, all the
strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats that you have in your
life. Use the strengths and opportunities to your benefit and work
towards reducing and gradually eliminating the weaknesses and threats
that you feel will hinder your progress and will become road blocks in
your life.
6. Create a Life PlanUse
this time to decide what you want in life. Decide, plan, develop an
action plan, see, believe and you are well on your way. As the great
people say, `Seeing is Believing'. Once you know what you want to
achieve in life, you automatically know what needs to be done in order
to achieve your goals and your wants. Design your life and develop
smaller goals, the attainment of which will lead to your larger goals
in life. Slowly work towards your goals one by one and a day will come
when you would have finally reached your goals and that sense of
achievement will give you the contentment, fulfillment and satisfaction
that you would never have experienced in your entire life.
7. Find your spiritual selfGet
close to your GOD, find your spiritual self and move in a direction
that will do you good in the present world and the world hereafter. Use
this time to pray, to contemplate, to think, to thank and to talk to
GOD. Believe me, you go one step towards GOD and GOD will come 10 steps
towards you. You will differentiate between right and wrong, you will
have a clearer conscience, you will be happier, your mind, body and
soul will be at peace and you will discover a whole new side of
yourself that you had never known.
8. Discover the purpose of your lifeEveryone
human being has been sent on earth to accomplish a certain purpose in
life. Discover that purpose of your life, ask the questions, look for
the answers, work towards your purpose and I am sure you will
accomplish the purpose you have been designed to accomplish.
9. Work on your personal developmentLike
professional development, one must also work on continuous personal
development. This is a development and improvement that should never
stop at any stage of life. This is a process that should go on until
the end of life. Strive to live a balanced life, balance all the
aspects of life and remember that there is always room for improvement
no matter how good you are.
10. Keep looking for better opportunitiesLast
but not the least, keep looking for better opportunities. Without your
sincere efforts and hard work in anything you do in life, you will not
reach your destination. You put in the effort and GOD will take care of
the rest. Believe in GOD and the world shall be yours.
The above
mentioned points are not by any means the be all and end all of
discovering life. There is a lot more to it. It is different for
different people and personalities and it is your job to find ways that
will best be of benefit to you and your well being.
So keep
working hard, keep a positive mind set, look for good in the bad, the
positive in the negative, opportunity in the difficulty, light in the
dark and you shall convert catastrophe into harmony. GOOD LUCK!
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Re-posted from
http://www.personal-development.com/talhaTalha
is a 23 year old hotelier and an aspiring personal development author.
Having completed his degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management
from Switzerland, he now works for a renowned multi-national hotel
chain as a Sales & Marketing professional.
Talha
intends to contribute to life and society through his writings and in
an attempt to do so, he writes for a renowned 'Personal Development'
website and has also started a blog through which he hopes to share his
ideas, thoughts and feelings with the world so that he could write
about the subjects that he loves, learn from the experiences of other
people and do something that can positively affect other people's
lives. Talha can be reached at talha.tashfeen@gmail.com.
Life Discovery: Living, not merely Existing: http://talhatashfeen.blogspot.com/ http://talhatashfeen.blogspot.com/