Greetings, Nextnik community! Wow! There’s a lot going on in our world right now.  Between the election, the economy, and the holidays approaching, it seems like life is on “fast forward,” doesn’t it?  

In my own life and community, I’m witnessing lots of change. Babies being born to neighbors, houses going up for sale (and some staying on the market for quite awhile), a few people changing jobs and, unfortunately, a few others whom have lost their jobs.  Then, on top of all these changes, a dear friend of mine just learned she must face a very serious illness.  In one moment, her life and that of her family’s life, has changed forever.

As a life coach, I work with people to live their lives by design, to be proactive in creating a life of their dreams, rather than settle for a life that simply “comes their way.”  While this is incredibly rewarding, there is still an element of uncertainty that we all must learn to live with.  Perhaps you planned for a carefree life of travel with your spouse, and then came an unexpected but welcome child in your life.  Or, you decided to put an offer on your dream house only for your husband to lose his job and now you must worry about how you will pay the mortgage on your current home.  My father used to tell me as a child, “Life is full of the unexpected, and the sooner we learn to live with uncertainty, the better.”

Two of my current coaching clients are experiencing big change as they both lost their jobs.  Both are extremely intelligent, talented professionals who simply were let go due to their company’s fragile economic condition.  Both were offered decent severance packages and both are proactively and positively approaching their job search.  Below are some strategies for coping with job loss, based upon my clients’ experiences and my work with them:

Relax knowing that you have 3-6 months of savings in the bank.  (If you don’t have 3-6 months of savings in the bank, please learn from these folks who did.  They will have a much easier time of finding a new job knowing that they were smart in putting away for a rainy day.)

Use this as an opportunity to ask yourself, “Was I truly a good fit for that position?”  “What else would I like to be doing?”  “How can I now find a job or career that might better fit my particular set of skills or talents?”

Get ready to talk to people.  Talk to anyone and everyone you know and diffuse the situation by saying, “I’m not looking for a job.  I’m looking for information.”  This immediately puts people at ease, because they don’t feel like you are looking for them to find you a job.  They can simply talk about their jobs, their industry, and best yet, their contacts.  Your goal is to leave each of those meetings or phone calls with at least 2 more names.

Consider freelance or contract work. One of my clients has just given himself 6 more months of “cushion.”  He will work part-time for a previous employer, in an industry that does not particularly thrill him, to have the opportunity to find something that does excite him.

Surround yourself with positive, encouraging people.  

Be disciplined. Organize your days like work days.  Spend X amount of time making calls, X amount of time on information-gathering interviews, X amount of time on actual interviews (many times information-gathering interviews turn into appointments for actual interviews).  Realize that finding a great job is a job in itself.

Don’t give up. Especially in strained economic times, things may take longer than expected.  Stay positive, take care of yourself physically and mentally, and keep going.  

Be ready for change!  If a job opportunity presents itself across the country, or a less expensive home is in order based upon your search, be prepared to make changes because they may be necessary.

So, whether Obama is your man of change, or you are excited to see a Maverick enter the Oval Office, whether you plan for retirement at 40, 50, 75 or never, make sure you realize that your plan can, and most certainly will, change.  It’s our duty to roll with the changes the best we can, and not let them derail us completely.

For more information about working with a life coach, contact  kendell.anderson@comcast.net or the International Coaches Federation at   www.coachfederation.org.

Kendell