Distress - A Limbo State

 

Distress - A Limbo State! - But!! This is when you realise your strength completely.

How often has there been times when you feel like you are in a limbo and your future looks bleak? Most often this happens when one gets to a moment of distress in life, be it a job failure, a love failure, loss of most beloved.  Whatever be the situation, the consequence is often a ‘Limbo’.  The obvious symptoms are,

• Loss of hope in life, as if there is no tomorrow;
• Hours of self-sympathy, and the constant question in the mind of, ‘why me?’;
• Disinterest in everything that you do; and
• Loss of sleep.

If you overdose yourself, you show it out and people start talking about you and also start advising you with their views. Advice would most often include a complete analysis from their perspective making you feel criticized, often making you worse given your situation. If you reach a point when your distress drives you off your limits, you retaliate in many ways including, anger, aggression and actions that hurt others or your own self. During such times, you really need someone beside you, but you also do not let anyone beside you, simply by your rude and confusing behaviors.

This my friend, is the time you can identify that you have breached your virtual tolerance limits.  But this is also the time you sit back and think what you really need in life. What you are ready to give up and what you cannot compromise. Make your choices wisely within the limitations of what is available as choices. You cannot always get all that you ask for since everyone need to have their share of choices. Always keep in mind you cannot make everyone happy and every situation cannot be to your favor.  

The golden principle here is, negative emotions, ego, aggression and revenge are no good deeds as it takes a lot more effort and causes misery that will soon reverse on you. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction and it is just a matter of time. It takes ten times more efforts to show anger as against showing a smile.  It is not easy to stay calm and positive during tough times, but that is the best you could do. 

Always, time is a best healer and it finds its own way of healing you and everyone around you.  Although it is easier said than done, this is the Law of Nature.  Do what you think is the right thing to do having the maturity to think wisely without anger, aggression or revenge being any of your motives. The Limbo state, is really when you realise your strength and ability completely. So be positive and spread positive attitude around you. Because, this is what makes you a complete human being, who is 'Human'.

Job Redundancies - Is Survival for the Fittest?

Jack of all Trades, Master of None!!
 Well said, but Jacks of old times did not see job crisis as todays' world - 'Lost my Job' is what is so often heard now.


It is a Tech-World which has increased our reach and exposure so much. Gadgets rule our life, starting from calories we eat to what we burn with each step.  'Ask Google' even becomes medial practitioner for most common diseases and home remedies.  A study says, in this new world of Apps and Gadgets one takes the mobile a minimum of 70 times in a day.  Information Technology has changed our lives but has also fast paced it.  It brought a paradigm shift to doing business.  While it brought new jobs it is changed the profile of many profession and further more has made many redundant. Internet brought us so close to do business that geographical distances does not really matter for most aspects of things.  Hence came BPOs and Call Centers and the boom of online shopping market, changing the whole dynamics to trade.  Shops have moved to online market, bank branches reduced to online banking system.

How many of us will remember calling Agents to carryout bank transactions, Brokers to buy or sell shares and Consultants to file Income Tax Returns.  In this online era, anything straightforward is in the Click of a button and we all have eventually become, 'Jack of All Trades'.  We look out only for experts who masters in what they do. While surfing the net, an interesting read caught my eye. The study was about future redundancies to some professions. One such profession that interested me was "Lawyers".  The study said, we will need far less number of lawyers since google will start giving legal advice upto 90% accuracy.  Does that mean, one needs to think twice before taking up a law course, absolutely not. All it tells us is that in every profession we are moving towards 'specialisation'.

The key is, Are you the expert in what you do? That is what matters.

While 'Lawyer' quoted here is one such example, the message today is, bid adieu to the old and most believed saying, 'Jack of all trades and Master of none'.  the new saying would be, 'Strive to be the Master because its just not enough to be just Jack'.   

Keep in mind, this 'Strive' will be a continuous process because your status as the 'Master' will be continuously challenged by frequently changing technology, dynamic economies and businesses including early redundancies to methods adopted and changing laws and regulations.

Today, we so often hear about organisation restructuring, job cuts and downsizing of business, across all fields, economies, countries.  Tomorrow it could come to you?  How prepared are you? Or are you the one who thinks you are at your best and it cannot happen to you?  Well, may be its time to think this way, 'What if it happens to me?' What are my dependencies and am I prepared for the worst?.

So, afterall it is Survival is for the Fittest and the fittest here is one who is savvy of the fact that change is constant and tomorrow the worst can happen and be prepared for the worst. Now, how can one be prepared, some key takeaways:

1. Never take your job for granted. Always thrive to find new and innovative ways of doing things and delivering your best. Afterall you are doing this for your own good to be the best always and not to benefit anyone else.  Your employer eventually gains and mutually you grow.  If you are not recognised, do not get dejected, because what you do is for your own learning and in your own strive to be the best.

2. Never take big financial commitments.  This does not mean you do not take any loans or take investment decisions.  It is just the word of caution here. Do make sure you can repay your financial commitments even if the worst happens. Example, is your end of services is good enough to bail you out of your financial commitment, if the worst happens.  Then go for it.

3. Simply because you need to keep your job, don't become a servant to your employer, then you stop learning.  Probably, when you feel that way, it is time to change your career or look for other opportunities.  Keep in mind, in this tough job market, you may fail many times, but do not stop trying.
 
4. In moments of frustration, never get impulsive to leave your job even when the time goes adverse.  During such times, try to diversify.  Probably its good to advance your professional qualifications, improve certifications and get your self prepared for newer opportunities.  Keep looking for the right one while you delivery your commitment to your current job.

5. When opportunity knocks at your door, grab it.  While you choose an opportunity, do not see how much it pays first. Salary is key but, that is not the first thing. The first thing to see is if it will let you strive to be your best and will you be getting the opportunity to learn and last but not least, do you like what you are doing.

Lastly, if unfortunately, the worst hits, never give up.  Survival is for the Fittest.