Editor’s note: This article first appeared here on 21 Jun 2009. 

Should you grab any job that comes along?

Written By: Gilbert Goh

Should you grab any job that comes your way after being retrenched? Many I know will try to go back to their same profession and some even seek out the same position they last held with similar pay scale without any consideration for other position that they are unfamiliar with. So what should the unemployed do here?

I guess this is a personal issue and also largely depend on how long the person  has being unemployed. Some have a large sum of savings and can hold on for many months whereas others could not even go unemployed for a month. Depending on how desperate you are, you are the best judge of the situation.

Those who held senior position before  seem to take much longer time to find employment.  Senior management staff and chief executive officers tend to find it harder to find their next job especially in a very depressed job market even though their salary request is much reduced. I have seen senior managers earning $5,000 to $6,000 during the 1997 downturn turning to driving taxis to make ends meet. Their sacrifice and humility earn my utmost respect and I salute them! They are role models for the many unemployed people who may still be fussy about their job selection.

Easier To Land Part Time Work

Generally blue collared and clerical staff will find it easier to get employment as firstly such jobs are in demand and secondly their salary request is within market range.  Many   will  be able to find  work   if they are not too choosy. However, this is all so personal and what is gem to one may be trash to another. I have known some members here who are doing telemarketing for $7.00 an hour happily of which some will shy away from due to various reasons best known to the individual.

So should you take up any job that comes along regardless of the salary and job scope just so that you can go back to being employed again and lead a normal life? Our government has asked us to lower our expectation and just work first so that we are out of the misery. There is some truth there as the longer one stays jobless the worse the situation will become unless one has alot of backup funds. Even with an attractive severance pay out, many retrenched executives lost alot of self confidence as they sit at home doing nothing. Their family members also have to cope with daddy suddenly hanging around their neck 24/7.

Yet for others, the retrenchment may come at a wonderful time especially for mothers. A transitioning member gladly took out ten months of severance pay out and spent precious time at home now tending her two young kids.  After knocking off at 9pm daily for the last ten years, she found meaning in her life again with new found freedom at home. Her kids are also happy that mummy is finally at home now waiting for them instead of the maid. She may need to readjust her work philosophy having find so much meaning in life after staying at home for the past few months after being retrenched.

Lifestyle Change

Personally,  I find that we all need to lead a more balanced lifestyle in busy Singapore.  Too many of us have worked too hard in our jobs and this have cause us to lose touch with our family members and even ourselves.  We all need to work less and live simply so that we can find meaning in our existence. Many have told me that they felt  they are merely robots living meaninglessly in our stressful society. I agreed with them.

On another note,  some may want to just take up any jobs for the money. This is a practical society that we live in. Bills need to be paid and the home mortgage has to be paid on time.

Financial advisors have advise us,  as a rule of thumb,  that one should set aside at least six months of living expenditure for emergency use. However, speaking from my experience, a minimum sum of twelve months to eighteen months seem reasonable as one can stay jobless for one to two years against one’s choice. There is no fixed unemployment term unfortunately. Some I know have stay jobless for more than two years. Others longer.

Others may also ask if they can strike out on their own if they have some capital set aside for such a purpose? I say why not? Retrenchment always provide us the opportunity to try something new and we may succeed. The only caution I give is that if the business venture fails (which it may) what is your next option? Many who have dumped all their savings or severance pay into starting a new business venture get themselves burn and end up worse off than before. I would advise one who is keen to start a new business venture after being laid off to also set aside at least twelve months of expenditure sum so that there is something to fall back on in the event that the business really fail. We don’t plan to fail but if we fail to plan for contingency we are in for real trouble. It is good to be kaisu sometimes.

Career Change

What about a total career change? Again why not? I speak from experience again. I was working in the financial sector for around 5-6 years earning around $60,000 a year on average before going away. As I was all along keen in the social service sector, I thought I was ready for a career change. However due to the extremely low salary range I put it off my priority job search list as I realise that I could not maintain my lifestyle with the kind of salary I am getting. For a start, social workers are paid less than $2,000 a month and quotes of $1500 is not uncommon.

Nevertheless, after many months of unemployment and an recurring interest in that sector, I decided to plunge right in starting at $6.50 an hour as a part time worker in a family service center. After several months as a part timer, I was offered full time contract employment with a starting salary of less than $1500. I stayed with the center for less than a year before venturing out to another welfare organization managing to acquire a salary of $2500. Though it was less than half of my previous pay as a financial advisor, I was able to pay my bills and manage a reasonably decent lifestyle. What lessons have I learnt here?

Firstly, I should not have wait so long for the right job and salary to come along. By waiting, I wasted precious time and potential lost of income. The mental stress that I have acquired from the wait far outweighed the real loss in income and status of the new job. If I can do this all over again, I will follow my heart and seek out those jobs belonging to the social service sector. As such jobs do not pay well and many people shun them as dirty jobs, Singaporeans have a lot of choices if they don’t mind the salary range. Many people who are retrenched in the 40s and 50s are all doing well in the social service sector.

Secondly, it gives me a lot of satisfaction knowing that my job creates an impact on someone’s else life. Accountants and lawyers have known to throw away their five figure salary and spend their time in the social service sector. The job satisfaction they get far outweigh the huge loss in income and social status. Many have not regretted the big sacrifice and some even have to downsize their lifestyle in order for them to survive on the meager salary they are getting as social workers.

Commission Paying Jobs

Many people I know went into the commission-based industries such as property, insurance, stockbroking and multi level marketing (MLM). Many have done extremely well and regained back their self esteem. Some are smart enough to even go for taxi licensing first in preparation for any economic layoff – more like a backup plan. To these people, I saluted them as they are more prepared than others who can only watch when it is their turn to get laid off.

I remembered I went into the insurance business in 1994 and was making a reasonably decent living till 1999 before I ventured out for my study abroad. The income I made during those five years was equivalent to my ten years of service with the government as a civil servant. So if you are jobless, commission-based job is worth a try and you never know if you can do it or not without trying first right?

As commission-based jobs do not have a base salary one needs to ready for at least three months of no income as industries such as insurance advisors need to clear a few certification courses before they can start to sell. For property agents, the wait for the first paycheck may be a good half year down the road as clients only pay up when the deal is officially closed. There are also marketing advertisements to pay and other industry-related necessary cost to bear. Those with big backup finances have an obvious advantage here.

So, it is good to try out new opportunites but going in with eyes open is equally important. It will be disastrous to try out for a year without really making any headway in the full-commission  industry and  ending up worse off than before.

Nevertheless, there is no gain without risk here.
It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. Sir Edmund Hilary

This article was first posted here on July 2009.

Written by: Gilbert Goh

I have listed seven industries which the newly retrenched can try on to jumpstart hopefully into a  new career. Some of these industries have being tested by me and others were related to me by people in transition.

Hopefully, you can find something that will interest you to try it out first before turning it  wholeheartedly into a career.

1. Commission work

Commission work is  easy to start off but need alot of perseverance and efforts. Initial fiery efforts sometimes can only carried us so far but the rest is up to a dogged persistence to hang in there when the chips are down.

Commission jobs are like being your own boss as no one pays you a salary. In fact, sometimes, you pay your boss a cut of your commission and it is called over riding commission.

I am sure by now you know what commission jobs are. Property agents, insurance advisors and MLM agents all belong to this category and need to sell something before you pick up a cheque for your commission.

Strong marketing skills and good PR are all important criterion for those keen on doing commission jobs. Property and insurance agents all need  to pass stringent qualifying exams before they can start to sell. As it takes about a minimum of three months to pass all qualifying exams, it is encouraged that those who are  interested in this career have some savings to tide over a transitional period.

We have all heard of how some property and insurance agents earn six or even seven figure salary in their career. Do not be fooled as this group belongs to a minority. Most struggled as the industry is very competitive and  many drop out as they could not last the pace. Commission work also needs people with drive and passion. Those who make it are frequently people that are very motivated and driven.

I have been an insurance advisor for four years and fortunately have done well from 1994-1999 attaining the coveted Million dollar round table award twice. I have also travelled widely because of the industrial prizes that came with certain awards.   I could not persevere after four years as  I found the work boring and monotonous.  However, I have throughly enjoyed my four years’  journey  as an advisor as not only do I have a lot of freedom but it also freed me to do alot of personal stuff on my own. It was also the first time that I managed to get out of the 9-to-5 work cycle.

The insurance sector also introduced me to the power of positive thinking and goal setting.  Being a rather negative thinking person, I am glad that those motivational seminars that I sat through many hours  provided me the impetus to do things that I have never thought of doing before. For me, life has being an adventure since the day I became  an insurance advisor.

2.  Teaching

I was fortunate to be introduced to the teaching industry and was posted to China for a one-year term teaching English to the Chinese students in 2007-2008.

It was an eye opening industry as I have never taught before. Though there was a syllabus to follow, often, we have to improvish along the way.  I remembered I brought my class out to the football field one morning and taught them there. We shared alot during that period and that session somehow broke the ice for all of us.

I urged all who are transitioning to take up the opportunity to work abroad if offered that chance. It is not only ground breaking but also mind stretching.  While working abroad, you are exposed to a totally different culutre and your mindset tends to change and reshape.

If you are keen to teach English to foreign students, do take up a diploma in TESOL – teaching English to students of other languages.  It is almost a pre requsite due to a tightening of requirement by the educational ministry. A tiertiary education is also helpful here.

When I returned  to Singapore from Sydney last year, I continued  my teaching on a part time basis. Though teaching is lucrative, it is short term and often temporary. There is also no CPF here and no medical or other monetary benefits.

Most educational centres pay between $30 to $50 an hour depending on qualification and experience. One can earn around $4000 a month teaching about 5 hours a day.

A passion for teaching is  required here as sometimes it can be boring and the class may give you problem. Classroom management also is important here as students tend to “bully” teachers who are soft and lenient.  Sometimes, your class may give you enough problem to quit the industry halfway and totally.

Networking is important here as it is rather tough to get into closely knitted this industry without any referral. The two teaching contracts that I had were all recommendation made  by friends on my behalf who knew the bosses in the educational centres.

You can also try out relief teaching in our public schools. I heard that for experienced retired teachers, there is a need to fill up relief teachers in our schools here.  Relief teaching is also temporal and only pays upon work done. There is also an absence of other work benefits such as medical insurance or bonuses.

3. Telemarketing

Telemarketing is an industry that  is recession-proof. Any company will need telemarketing services to push through products to the market. It is mostly paid hourly and rates of between $7 to $10 an hour are commonly quoted.

I have done a few telemarketing contracts during my transitioning period from 2000-2001.  I enjoyed the work as I liked  talking and interacting with people. Some even provide a one-day course to orientate the new worker to the industry. Many simply allow you to start work once you have sign on the dotted line.

Most telemarketing work here involves marketing of the financial products such as credit cards or lines. Suffice to say in any marketing job, there is always the sales target to meet. Some companies pay a small commission on top of the hourly rates to attract workers to meet the sales quota.

Most people take telemarketing job as  temporary work and I do not blame them. The work can be strenuous and monotonous. You also need to talk alot and competition among fellow telemarketeers do not allow one to be too cordial in the work place.

There are many telemarketing companies in the market and one needs to search for them in the internet to surface out a few of the bigger better ones.

People who are retrenched and  are desperate may want to consider taking up telemarketing as a stop gap measure until you find something better.  It is better than sitting at home waiting for the next job. A take home pay of around $1500 a month for rookies is achievable here.

4.  Tuition

This is a  traditional bread and butter job for many undergraduates and retired teachers. Many could make a few thousand dollars a month just by giving tuition to a crazy population. As many as 80% of our studying population have some form of additional learning services that go beyond their normal teaching curriculum.

The starting off however can be rather difficult as it is an industry that operates by word of mouth. If you are good and responsible, you will gain credibility and popularity very fast.

Rates of $30 an hour for teaching to a primary school kid with travelling is achievable if you are good.  Those tutoring A level students can fetch up to $70 an hour especially if it is very near to exams.

It is an industry that favours the females as many parents are cautious of male teachers handling their children at home.

Some people  in  transition  I know have tried giving  tuition with variant result.  I guess alot depend on how passionate the person is in helping the child furthering his academic potential.

Moreover, during holiday season, most kids switch off from tuition and your income nosedives during that period.

In my opinion, giving tuition may only provide you some form of monetary incentive  but can never replace your main source of income unless you are really good at it.  An income of around $300-$500 is achievable if you have a few students to start off with.

Alternately, you can try out at tuition centres first though the starting pay is pathetic. Hourly rates of between $20-$30 is often quoted and you have to handle a class of between 5 to 15 students in the centre.

Personally, I have not try giving tuition to school going children  as I am not keen in this industry at all.

5.  Laborious menial work

I have heard that most kopitiam and food stalls need workers and they always have vacancy due to the work nature and shift hours. For an eight hour shift, rates of between $40 to $50 is attainable.

The job  is laborious and is considered dirty work. You not only need to clean tables but also even drag rubbish bags to the rubbish point.

I feel that  this kind of work appeals more to the matured blue collared workers who have not much choices in their career due either to their education or work skills.

There is also a need for drivers both in the class 4 and 5 category. As the work is tough and  often involves carrying goods up and down the vehicles, the person needs to be fit and hardy.

I know that some retrenched people take up cab driving but with different success. Some manage to persevere whereas others give up. As Singaporeans tighten up and many switch to public transport, cab drivers need to work doubly hard to make ends meet.

Moreover, new drivers need to pay up a refundable deposit of around $1000  before they could enrol for the taxi driving course. This is a deterrant measure and many people simply fail to cough up  a thousand dollars to enrol for the course.

6. Security work

Many people I know also try their hand at security work after failing to  land a job for a while after being retrenched.  Frankly, I see nothing wrong in that and it remains a personal decision for those in transition.

One needs to take a 3-month course and some c ompanies are willing to let you do it for free in return for a 6-month bond.

The security industry is always in demand and there are several thousand vacancies right now. PMETs can go for the supervisory security course affliated with WDA and can earn close to $1800 as a security spervisor.

One major bugbear of the security industry is the working hours.  Most contracts need you to work a 12-hour shift with an off day a week. Those who need to go for worship services in church have problem settling down in this industry. The pay is also nothing to shout about.  A new security officer can earn about $1300 a month working a 12-hoour shift cycle.  For those working in 8-hour shift, the pay can be as low as $900 a month.

People in transition considering security work needs to be reminded that people with criminal records are usually disallowed from such industry. Moreover, some who have little education have failed in their security industrial tests as they could not comprehend the course details properly.

Security companies also are infamous for the way that they fail to pay their workers promptly and correctly due to a cashflow problem.

I would encourage those considering  security work as a career to sign up for the bigger companies such as Cisco or Premier Security. They are better run and managed. The odds are that they will not fail to pay promptly or correctly.

7. Part time temp work

Part time work is always a sought after service especially in a recession. Companies prefer to provide work only for a designated period and  they do not have to provide for any medical or other extra monetary allowances.

Adminsitrative part time work is more popular with women workers and  rates of anything between $7 to $10 an hour is achievable.  One women friend I know likes to do temp work as she gets to try different work environment and industry.

There is also less politics here as no one cares to engage politics with a temp worker. Some companies also pay temp workers higher as compared to permanent workers due to the short term work nature.

Of course, the flip side of temp work is that there is a lack of benefits and more importantly minimal work security. After every assignment, one has to wait for the next one and unless one is financially sound the wait could be a long and weary one.

Many people I know are doing some form of temp work while in transition. It is a form of income  for many thoughis  less stable than a permanent job. A temp worker can earn close to $1500 – $1800 a month performing clerical work.

One can get more money from doing direct temp work for a company  than getting it from an agency as there will be a cut in money provided for the job deducted by the agency.

I hope that I have provided some form of asssitance to those who are  considering what to do next immediately after being retrenched. More importantly, before taking the plunge, it is good to consider what you are passionate about.  Often, those who last longer tend to do something that they like.

This article first appeared here on Aug 29, 2009

7 Ways To Come Out Of Prolonged Unemployment

Written by: Gilbert Goh

Many readers I met have been out of work for many months. Many also experience joblessness  lasting more than a year. One I met was jobless for more than 2 years surviving on his savings and doing odd jobs along the way. As a guide, people who are out of work for more than 9 to 12 months are deemed to belong to this prolonged unemployment group. Aparently, there is a sizeable proportion of the working population that belongs to this troubled group – mostly in their 40s and 50s.

As many as 50,000 people who are out of work may have fallen into this jobless category causing much headache to the government.

The technical word for this group of workers is long termed unemployed (LTU). Many of them are mainly retrenched workers, axed during the recent global financial crisis, and came  saddled with obsolete skills and have difficulty adjusting to a new economy.  Many will  need to upgrade their skills to prepare themselves for a second career with lower salary expectation and having to start all over again like a new kid on the block.

Having stayed jobless for 18 months during the Sars period personally, I could empathsize with the LTU’s  situation. You send out hundreds of job applications weekly and interviews that you attended all turned out fruitless. Every time you don’t hear from any employer after another interview, your self confidence took a step back.  Your head hung lower and you wonder whether if you are destined to stay jobless forever. That thought did come to me as the world seems to go pass me. It was a tough period and people in prolonged unemployment needs alot of resolve and mental strength to hang on.  Self esteem is at an all time low and it takes alot of self confidence to ignite the engine again. The mind also works slower when one is out of work for a long period.

However, readers who belong in this category  can find solace in my situation as I have moved out of this tag and are very much a better person after that awful period.  I have learned to be more flexible than before and very opportunistic. It is as if my honing radar is very switched on now to look out for opportunistics.  I remembered I took on a life-changing opportunity to work and teach in China only after a short discussion with my wife. Prior to that, I would not even entertain such thoughts more out of not wanting to come out of my comfort zone than anything else. I also became more resilient as a result of that prolonged period of joblessness. Something happened during that period and I could feel that something inside of me has changed. I am sure many people in prolonged unemployment will agree with me on this.

Unfortunately, people in a state of prolonged unemployment tends to be comfortable wherever they are. It is not that they want to stay unemployed, it is just that the whole mental and physical being have adjusted to being not working. They may also follow a routine that after a long while may take alot of discipline to  come out of it.  Lets face it – if possible we won’t want to work as it can be boring and stressful especially in our suffocating working culture. Some who left their former work places in acriminous circumstances also have this phobia to return to the work force. If possible, they want to enjoy the peace and quiet at home living simply with whatever savings they have so far.

I have listed seven ways to come out of prolonged unemployment. For some of us, unless we are desperate financially, we will take our time to return to the work force. Prolonged unemployment can also be bad for our social well being as no one can feel that they are plugged into the society if they continue to live their life alone at home all day. While we work we also intreact with our colleagues enhancing our social well being and self esteem. Nothing beats doing a hard day’s work and being able to see the fruits of our work at the end of the month when we stand behind the ATM machine.

LTUs need to believe in themselves once more or else no one else will believe in them. Alot needs to come from the inside.

1. Make a decision to return to the work force

Though jobless for 18 months, I have taken up several short term contracts doing telemarketing. Lasting between one to three months, such jobs have given me much needed financial resources and broke the monotony of staying at home. It also helps to keep your mind in shape.

People in prolonged unemployment can look for short term work to get by – at least to get out of the house for a period on a regular basis. Many short term work can  be located through telemarketing companies, recruit agencies and newspaper advertisement.

I got two telemarketing contracts from the newspaper advertisement and proved to be a life saver for me as if not I would be a living cocoon stucked at home.

A reader in prolonged unemployment situation  told me that he helped out at his mother’s egg stall regularly and this has helped him used up  the free time  wisely. The time spent  at the stall also helped him to bond more with his ageing mother.

So, make a decision to return to the work force and doing short term contract job may be the start that you need before taking off. Very often, what the mind sets out to do will be accompanied by active participation of the body and emotion.

2. Know what you want for yourself

Our government has always advocated that the unemployed  go for upgrading skills to be more job-ready but what is the right training programme for someone who is jobless already for a year or two?

Our retraining programmes, such as those initiated by e2i and CDCs, are all heavily subsidised and many merely pay not more than 10% of the course fee.  Training allowance is also avaluable to those who are in need and it seems that this is a heaven-send initiaitve benefitting the unemployed.

However, to my shock, I realised that many who  attended our retraining programmes are actually  not really jobless. Many training programmes are attended however by workers sent by their companies as there are no work to be done at the work places. Workers attending such upgrading courses have their pay tab picked up by the government saving companies from retrenching them in the process as there is no work to be done at the companies.

LTUs can still benefit from retraining programmes by asking themselves what do they really want to do for a second career? At the age of 40s to 50s, many may  have realised that the best money making days may be behind us. We can only hope that we can do something that we like now. Work should now become a joy rather than a chore. Though some of us still have to support our family, one should adjust to a lower salary range and scout out whatever limited opportunities available in the job market.

Do not follow the crowd when it comes to attending upgrading courses. I see some readers all rushing into one particular course that has a long waiting list only to regret taking it later. Many simply sign up for the course when their friends are also doing it. Many have also used it as a networking opportunity.

I wanted to be in the social service all along and when I decided to upgrade it was not a difficult decision for me. I worked part time in a family social service and tooked on a certificate in counselling – sponsored by the company.

I later worked towards a diploma in psychology – also sponsored by another company. After that, I earned my graduate diploma in social science on my own never wavering from my dream. Soon after, I founded a non profit organisationing  – Transitioning.org,  helping many to transit during unemployment. It is now a registered NPO with the registrar of societies.

LTUs need to spend some time going through what they really want for themselves. They need to go through what is available in the market and look for a match. When the whole process is to help in the pursuit of a dream never can dissuade the person from achieving his passion.

Readers who have difficulty finding their passion can email me and I see how I can help you here.

3. Get family involvement

My family helps me alot during the long period that I was unemployed. They stood by me and never ceased to push me out to take up any job. I know many wives who will nag and harass their husbands to take up a job even though they dislike them. Some husbands have no choice but to desperately hunt for a job just to avoid their wives’ nagging routine.

LTUs should discuss with their family members their life goal – what they want to do and how they can accomplish them along the way. Unless husbands talk to their family members about  their plan,  one can’t really blame them for mistaking that he is just a bump that refuses to work!

Suffice to say, a family that is supporting and encouraging, can help to put an LTU back on his feet again faster than one who has poor support.

With a low self esteem and some  not even have enough left in their tank to push on for another mile, family support is vital for LTUs to get their feet back again in the work force.

4. Find support from fellow LTUs

The human race is a particular species that find solace in gathering together. They can progress remarkably well if they can find the relevant support from the community. Their problem seems lighter and easier to solve if they can that they are not alone with their own problem. Many others have also face the same issue and have overcome them before.

I was fortunate to have strong support from my own church group who never failed to encourage me along the way. There were alsosome friends that I count count on for morale and financial support. To these days, I have never forgotten about their generiosity and they were one of the main reason why I could escape unscathed from those dark days. Of course, it took a lot of humility for me to open up my situation to them. One key element for LTUs to find support is to humble themselves first and not allow the ego to take precedence here.  When you do your part the rest will ultimately follow. That is the law of the nature I guess.

Too many fellow LTUs I found tend to keep their problem to themselves. Perhaps, it is our Asian culture that inhibits sharing of our problem to others. Of course, many well meaning friends when you share with them your problem,  also took the wrong discourse and dispensed solutions to them. All LTUs simply need is a good listening ear and that the friend is always there whenever he needs to unload off his chest.

5. Learn to find your life’s mission

As LTUs normally are in their 40s – 50s age group, I am sure that many want to do something that left a ever lasting legacy behind – there are simply not many days left when we will depart from this world. Like many here, I am not really into money making when I gew older.

Suffice to say, some will not have this luxury of choosing something that they like to do as financially some will need to take up any job to get by for their family members.  For this group, survival over takes their intrinsic interest work wise.

I want to do something intangible – stuff that touches people lives. Call me sentimental or silly but there are things that I do these days that do not make my professional resume looks good anymore.

By running this non profit organisation full time, I have not drawn an income for many months and in fact I have to give away cash to people who are more in need than me. Many of us attached our work to an income and this is only right. we all should be paid for an honest day of work. I have also duplicated some of the things that I have done in Singapore to Sydney right now. We just started a support group in Sydney on 28 Aug and it was a dream came true. Though the group only has four participants on the first session, I  resolved to ensure that the group will carry on and hopefully more people in transition will join us.

There will be those out there who may want to do some meaningful voluntary work that does not pay at all or simply paying peanuts. Of course, some breadwinners will be unable to work in such jobs due to practical reasons.

There are many needs out there that require someone who dares to sacrifice themselves so that they will left a legacy behind. Too many of us live our life too flippantly when we can, through some serious planning, curve out a meaningful career for ourselves benefitting many people along the way.

6. Do things that help boost the self esteem

I  understand that many LTUs battle depression and often a low esteem. Some have alot of  self doubts about their abilities and a few may need lot s of affirmation before they can go back to the work force. Many who are being retrenched often blame themselves for not doing a good job when this is furthest from the truth. Some employers have no choice but to retrench staff as there is no work to be done. Marketing and sales staff are always the first to go and the “last in first out” philosophy often happens to new staff. Questioning your capabilities when you are being laid off is both unnecessary and self harming. The soonest one stop the self harming game the better it will be for the recently laid off. If not, they will wallow in self pity and join those in the LTU group.

As they wake up daily to a meaningless routine and staying very home-bound, many even hate to go downstairs for fear that some may enquire on their work status. Every well meaing enquiry frim a good neighobur is a stab to their self image and confidence.

I have met many LTUs in my work here to realise that the longer one stays unemployed, the worse the situation gets. Some even doubts their capability when offered a job – rejecting the offer in the process!

LTUs need to consciously do things to boost up their self esteem. For example, some I know go for the various retraining courses to stay in tune with the market. I find that this is a wonderful way to keep one’s mood in the high as the person is out of the house regularly and he also mixes around with other people in transition. There is support when you mix with people regularly. We are never meant to be alone all by ourselves.

During my period of prolonged joblessness,  I also wrote alot and to date, at least one hundred articles were printed in most of the major newspapers’ forum columns in Singapore.  I also took time to write a book “How to survive unemployment” and am embarking on my second book now.  Thus, we all can make good use of the extra time on hand to do something that we have no time to do all along.

In this aspect, e2i has done a wonderful job of allowing people in transition to attend their many short courses almost free of charge. A friend went for a one-day executive worshop for PMETs (professional, managerial, executive and technician) and continued with other sort term courses that lasted a few days. He also got to know others in transition and have being able to gain from their support.

7.  Set a deadline on when to go back to the workforce

For LTUs,  it is always good to set a deadline on when you can get back to the workforce. Often, what the mind sets out to do is accompanied by active participation of the body and emotion. For example, if you are jobless for a year, you can set a time frame of another three months of intense job searching so that your vision of landing a job may materialise within the three months.

Conclusion

It is hope that  LTUs can find some solace from this article and learn to move on with their life. It is never good to be jobless for too long. It hurts our pocket, esteem and also may hamper our family’s abiility to support us.  There is a limit to how long our family can hold on when we suffer from prolonged unemployment. Ourchildren will also find it difficult to respect us when we daily stay at home and face the four walls.

This article was reproduced here in Jan 09.

Many who visited this blog site I believe will have been  retrenched or preparing for retrenchment. However, it is not the end of the world yet.

The unemployed need to prepare themselves well if they are retrenched. Those with severance package definitely have the upper hand to wait out the prolonged down turn. Those without will face the future with less confidence.

Nevertheless, staying prepared for retrenchment even if one is working now help.

Learn to network more now as retrenchment will hit you without giving you any early warning. Many feel a sense of loss and disengagement when they are laid off. Sometimes shock soon follow the newly retrenched and we all are better off staying lean and prepared for the worse.

Networking

Networking often helps one to face up to retrenchment. For example, if your company is not doing well, it is good to meet up with the suppliers or the clients. Often, they are the ones who will know you more as you have serve them all this while. Sounding them out that you may need their help in the event that you will be retrenched certainly give you a sense of confidence that you have open up a back door for future engagement.

A friend of mine who is an engineer in Sydney was retrenched last year November due to a merger. He was given one month’s notice and access to office facilities after that to help himself to locate for a new job. An employment consultant was also provided for the group of ten retrenched workers to help them with job counselling.

Fortunately, three weeks after been laid off, he managed to find a job that actually belonged to his previous company’s customer. As his track record was good, he managed to get the job after one interview. He also had a pay rasie as the profile was more of a consultant than an engineer. He was of course estatic.

Skills Upgrading

The next thing that you can do is to map out your skills set on a piece of paper and narrow down your job search. Many retrenched workers I felt aim for jobs in all the wrong  places. If you want to teach, go and apply for jobs in the MOE or the many private schools here. If you want to work in the construction sector aims to apply for jobs within that sector. Do not direct your job search all over the shop. Be focused on your search and if necessary talk to a career coach about your skill sets.

Many in their urgency and desperation try to apply for all advertised jobs from newspaper advertisements and fail to get even an interview as their experience and skill set do not commensurate with the job requirements. So remember to apply for jobs that fall within your skills set and experience. Though the hunt may be longer, the interview if granted may go through smoothly as this is the kind of work that you are comfortable with and an interviewer will be able to tell that you are the right candidate from the way you responded to their questions. Applying for a job anyhow will only frustrate you and waste your efforts.

Financial Planning

Do also prepare a financial plan even before you are laid off. Try to check how much you have in your account especially your CPF so that you know how long the balance sum can pay for your home mortgages. The first thing that people are worried about is their home mortgages as this is our basic need – according to Maslow Theory. We all have some basic needs such as housing and food and when these needs are compromised we all suffer some sense of instability. So do go through your budgetting with your loved ones in the event that you are laid off. Staying prepared is key here when unemployment looms.

How long can you last given the current account balance that you have? If one is laid off, how much can the family hold on with your spouse’s sole income? All this need to be sorted out preferably before someone is being retrenched so that you are well prepared.

We all can face joblessness with confidence if we have planned out what we should do after that. Have a plan A and even plan B so that your unemployment phase is not a period of desperate frantic job hunting heading nowhere.

As we all do not have a safety net here in the form of social welfare payout when we are laid off, it makes sense to properly prepare for our finances now for those who are still employed. It will be too late to plan properly when we face unemployment.

Talk To Your Spouse

Speak to your spouse when the pink slip is being delivered to you. Prepare her well in advance if possible  so that she is able to cope when it comes. Women are generally more insecure when her husband – normally the main income earner, loses his job.  There are the bills to pay and mortgage repayment have to go on even if income is not coming in. It can be a destabilising period for the family and also a good test of how resilient your family is in time of trouble.  If your family is able to withstand the pressures of someone losing his job, it can withstand any other storm that will come in the future. Many families pull through the  tough period and emerged much more stronger and firmer. Their relationship also improves considerably after clearing  a major crisis.

Go through your job search planning with her so that she is assured that you are doing your best to be rehired. Continue the family activities as normal as possible so as not to disrupt any current activities.

If there is a need to cut down on services or even lay off the maid, speak to the whole family calmly and explain the reasons why you are doing it.  Family members will understand why you are taking such course of action and will appreciate that you bother to take time to talk to them. Family who stays  strong together to tackle things calmly   will tend to emerge victorious in the end. If possible, minimise conflict and maximise communication during this period.

Seek Help If Necessary

If you think that the situation has overwhelmed you after a while,  learn to seek help if possible. There are church workers, counsellors and even good friends whom you can count on during this tough period.

This is not the best time to let pride deters you from asking people for assistance.  It is also a good time to build up the  relationship with others when you approach them for a listening ear.

Who knows,  your friend will seek your help in future when they are faced with the similar problem. We are all build to help one another here and no man is born to live on an island. By facing your situation all alone, you are also exposed to negative and desperate thoughts .

So lower your pride and seek help.

Conclusion

Staying calm and patient is probably the best anedote  for those who are still currently unemployed. Though the worst may be over for our economy, I know that jobs are still hard to come by. For every job that is advertised on the newspaper, there are at least a hundred applications.  It will take a while before one get rehired. The mind needs to be regularly psyched up through reading and positive self talk.

An average  waiting period of between 6 to 9 months  before one gets rehired is not surprising.

This may sound like a cliche – but learn to treat this period as a test of your inner man. There is no better time to  mould a man’s character than when he is  being place in a difficult situation. After a prolonged period of grinding and rubbing, the person will come out fresher and stronger both in thoughts and action. He is not the same again after going through the trial of fire.

Never dispise the period when you are in the  valley as it is in there that we all learn how to grow. It may change you life as it has changed mine.

Gilbert Goh

This article first appeared here in Oct 09.

I have read widely that the economic crisis may be already over and many have cheered such positive news. It is like dawn breaking out on a very prolonged period of darkness. We can finally see some light at the end of a very dark long tunnel. For many, they will want to erase such a depressing period from their memory if they could.  The past twenty  months have knocked many of us flat  and some even suffered tremendous financial distress from failed investment, home foreclosures and bankruptcies. Many have lost their  fortune in a very short period and may never get to see their money again at all.

Some families I heard broke up as a result of unemployment-related problems – mostly financial.  Lives have changed  and how we approached our affliction will largely determine whether we can meaning in our suffering. Yet, there are many others who have learn something useful out of the crisis. Some have told me that they became stronger mentally and emotionally. They have learn to thrive in adversity and found that their adversity quotient has strengthened. It is in the valleys that many will learn life’s lessons and this is so true for many in this recession. Unless we try to embrace and accept such down times readily, we will never learn from crisis that can suddenly  hit us at certain points of our life. Without experiencing sadness, we can never really know what is true happiness. Without the feeling of being poor before, we can never truly understand what poverty can bring to a person and appreciate any richness that we have. Adversity has softened many people  and they have all grown to become a better person. We all can learn a lesson or two from the 2008/9 recession. Here are seven lessons I learned from my own unemployment blues:

1. Never put all your eggs in one basket

Those who think that by investing our money we will reap tangible returns from  risk-averse investment vehicles will be disappointed. The past recession proved to be very devastating for anyone who invested their money  even in capital-guaranteed instruments. One big lesson we can learn from the recession is that greed may  equal loss. Invest abit but left some in the low-interest savings account seem a wise choice in this volatile environment. Though the return may seem low for money placed in the savings account, at least the capital sum is guaranteed – 100%.

Personally, I have lost 6 figure sum   in the stock market many years ago and have since stayed away from the stock market. I have learned my lesson and hope not to repeat my mistake again. Readers who have lost money in the minibonds and other investments will identify with what I have shared here.

2. Reduce debts and save more

Hopefully, the recession has taught us to constantly look for ways to reduce our debts and save more. Many I know have cut back on spendthrift habits and spend what they have rather than using their credit facilities. If you have a mortgage loan, try to pay it off in the shortest possible time. Staying debt free should be the motto of our people in this tough time. If possible, when buying a house, use the income of one person rather than both working couple to seek for a loan from the banks as the recession cycle seems to be getter shorter these days. Many people were caught out when they have difficulty paying their mortgage loan when their partner lost their job in the recession.

We ought to try to stay debt free in the shortest time possible. I know that this is easier say than done especially when we borrow to wed, buy a house, car, furniture and some even use their credit card to go on their dream holiday. Cutting down on debt or even staying debt free should be the goal of anyone affected by the recession.

3. Always be in an upgrading mode even when you are gainfully employed

Seek out a new skill even when you are still gainfully employed. Many people work thinking that they will be in their job forever.  People  always look lost when they are suddenly  retrenched and never know what they want to do after that. While still employed, plan ahead what you want to do for the next five or ten years. Those who plan ahead tend to be more confident of their future when they lose their job in a recession. Having additional skills also allow you to immediately change career when you lose your job. You are already one step ahead of those who are still floundering and looking lost after retrenchment. So,  learn a new skill preferably something that you like to do all along but never get the chance. It is time to explore those dreams that seems almost impossible to achieve when we are in our comfort zone. Be adventurous and take some calculated risk in your life.

4. Treasure your family

One nice thing that I heard from many people who lost their jobs is that they have  treasured their family more. Perhaps, we have substitute  relationships for tangible stuff in our materialistic society all along. We buy things for our children thinking that this will please them when deep down they prefer having us around  at home. They want our time and not our toys. Many who spent most of their waking hours in the office sudddenly felt lost when  enforced to spend the day time with their family members at home when they lost their job. They felt uncomfortable as they don’t know how to engage their children while transitioning at home.

They realised how much they have missed out on seeing their children grow up until they spend the time  at home interacting with them. It is a good wake up call for many I felt. Our children all grow up too fast and when we realise that we have miss those time, it will be too late as   time lost can never come back to us again. Time lost is forever gone.

5. Reconsider that loyalty issue with the employer

One significant lesson many people learned during the recession is that you can never expect loyalty from your employer though you have being foolishly loyal to the company. Many people put in extra hours of over time when requested to help their employers rush out some urgent tasks but were shocked to receive the pink slip still. Worse of all,  you still see many of your colleagues working  on when you are being laid off – that’s the deepest cut of all.

“Why me?” many have asked when they were been laid off. It was a blatant thrust of the sword into the loyal heart. So, reconsider that  loyalty issue with your employer. Are you putting in too many hours trying to fulfill your boss over bearing demands at work? Every extra hour you spent at the office  takes you away from the precious time that you can spend with your family members. Is it worth it?

I am not saying that we should all slack at work but the loyalty issue may need a re-check after how employers lay off their workers indiscriminately during the last  recession. One ought to know that we work to live and not live to work. Life is too short to put all our waking time working for our bosses so that they can make more profit for the company.

6. Spend more time networking

Many people who find jobs easily after been  laid off usually have a larget network of friends and contacts that they can tap on. They have benefit from spending time interacting with people from all walks of life. We need to change the way we job search from now on especially when the economy is so turbulent these days.  Learn to move out of the comfort zone of simply going to work and returning home. Learn to socialise more and be a friend to others. It is when we sow then  we can  reap from the time and efforts that we have put in cultivating relationships.

Networking can be uncomfortable for many of us who are naturally shy and inhibited. However, hopefully the positive efforts to network  will put us out of our comfort zone. So, move out to interact more with others – it can also  bring more colour into our mundane life.

7. Simplify our lifestyle and be contented with what we have

We all need to simplify our lifestyle more here. In Singapore whereby shopping is the popular past time of most people, learning to simplify one’s lifestyle seems relevant. We buy things on impulse and stock them up without really using them in the process. We buy the latest gadget when we found our colleagues having them. Hopefully, during the recession, we have learn not to compare ourselves with the Joneses and be contented with what we have. If our car is still working well though it is a old model, try not to change for another newer model incurring a new 10-year loan in the process. The key question to ask ourselves when we want to buy anything new is: “Do we need it? Is the old one not serving us well enough?” It is best to be happy with what we have. Stay lean and contented.

Lessons learnt from difficult times tend to stay on within us for a long time. People also emerge stronger after each economic crisis. So don’t waste your time brooding over lost opportunitites but try to see something useful coming out of the hard times. Life is too short to spend them always wishing for what we don’t have. Learn to see that there will always be a rainbow coming out of the heavy storm.

As one great man has taught us :- All this shall pass. It had already happened for me and the same will happen to you as well …

Written by: Gilbert Goh

PS: If you have similar stories to share about lessons learned during the period that you were jobless, email me at gilbert@transitioning.org or goh_gilbert@yahoo.com. All stories will be treated with the strictest confidence.

This article first appeared here in June 09.

Seeking Help When Unemployed

Written By: Gilbert Goh

 I am all in favour of the unemployed seeking professional counseling  and career coaching support. Those who feel that they are depressed and feeling hopeless should seek out a coach or counselor for advice rather than suffering alone. They are many family service centers (FSC) out there that provides counseling support and it can be provided free if you explain your current financial situation to them. There is no shame  to seek help and we should put away our Asian male ego here.

Unemployment is ranked as the top sixth most stressful events of one’s  life  with losing one’s spouse through death or a divorce occupying the top few spots according to a study done in University of Birmingham, 2001 (click here to read full article). Prolonged unemployment can unfortunately devastate a person’s self esteem and destroy a person’s desire to live on.

Adverse Effect Of Unemployment

Unemployment  sucks out whatever optimism we have inside us  and will often reduce one to a hopeless wreck. Unemployment also hits man harder especially if they are  heads of household  as it hurts their self esteem and man’s natural tendency to provide for the family.  The same lousy feeling applies even if the spouse is also working.

That is why it is important  for the unemployed to protect his emotion and mind well.  He needs to fill them up  with positive thinking through  motivational books, mixing around with people who are positive and  engaging in positive self talk. Going for regular exercises also helps to lift up one’s mood as it is found that when the body moves rapidly in motion,  it sends oxygen and blood pumping through the  system producing feel-good endorphins.

Unemployment  particularly affects one’s finances which also directly impact man’s basic needs such as food and shelter. The Maslow’s hierarchy of needs chart (see above)  revealed   that  food and shelter remain the most basic of man’s search for fulfillment .  Once deprived of such basic needs for a long time, a man may lose his natural instinct to survive.

For the extreme cases, some take their own life as they face financial pressures from bankers for mortgages or bank loans taken when times are good. We have read how some high profiled executives took their own life as they lost millions in the current financial crisis. Some could not see how they can continue living on having lost so much of their hard earned money in stocks and shares. During good times, many also live their life chasing after materialism, often attaching much value to accumulating tangible stuff such as houses and cars. Much of their self worth is lost when they lose their material goods during the crisis. Unless they find new value and meaning in living again after such massive  losses, many will feel that they have fail in their life and chose to end it all.

A  banker friend of mine killed himself during the Sars period after one year of unemployment.  I felt that suicide is most unnecessary and can be avoidable if  the situation is managed properly. Again, this is easier say than done. I find that those with a higher adversity threshold tends to hold up better than those without.  Frankly, this period of joblessness is agod to build up our resilience which is so lacking among our people nowadays due to long period of prosperity and comfort in our country.

Counselling For Everyone

I was fortunate to have a friend who works in the social service sector whom I met regularly during my unemployment period. Though our regular meetings could not be counted as professional counseling sessions, his unwavering support and encouragement for me have helped me immensely to turn around my life. It is also this friend who later recommended to work part time in his work place. I am eternally thankful to him for helping me out of my predicament. By  talking it out,  it is a form of emotional release for me often with the effect of loosening the knots within me.

I find that it is tough for guys here to seek counseling support for their problems. There is the pride issue and it is also shameful for one to open up to another person about their problem. However, having attended some counseling sessions on my own before, I find that counseling is very theraupatic and can bring instant mental relief for one who is deeply troubled. AS the counselor is a stranger to me, I could also have the freedom to share everything without feeling that he will judge me as some friends may do. Most counselors will also walk through the options with me and regular sessions of at least once fortnightly is recommended. There are occasions that I actually looked forward to seeing my counselor after a particularly bad spell.

Women have a lesser issue when it comes to seeking counseling support. Maybe they have less of an ego problem than men and will not hesitate to seek whatever help they can get from their own sister friends. Man has a big ego problem when it comes to seeking help and being vulnerable. It is timely that more men come forward to speak about their problems openly so that others may know that they are not alone and that seeking help is not an unmanly thing to do.

Family Service Centre

Professional counseling is provided from the following family service centers located all around Singapore:

Care Corner Family Service Center (FSC)

Fei Yue Family Service Center

Tg Pagar Family Service Center

Marine Parade Family Service center

Singapore Buddhist Lodge Vision Family Service Center

Rotary Family Service Center

Bear in mind that as family service centers work with people that stay within their precinct do contact the staff first before going down for their services. You don’t want to make a wasted trip when you go to the wrong FSC nearest you. Some also see clients by appointment so do contact them first.

Most FSCs are also located within HDB neighbourhood area and often housed in void decks. However, the interior is nice and warm giving one a feeling of calmness and peace. Most counseling rooms are decently renovated with cushions, paintings and sofas to provide clients with the right ambivience for sharing one’s problem. You will be surprised how fast one hour passed by when you have the right environment to offload your problem.

Most FSCs also charge a token of $20 to $50 per session but fees may be waived if the person has financial difficulty. Sessions are carried out by trained counselors and discreetly with the client’s privacy well guarded.

Of course if you have the means, you can consult a professional counselor who charges anything from $100 – $200 per session of one hour each. You have the comfort of privacy and comfort not found yet in FSCs as they still deal with the masses.

Unfortunately, counselling has yet to take off fully here perhaps due to the stigma attached to people seeking help.  It is  largely due to the ego of most people here especially men who shy away from seeking help as it stabs at  their manhood and I-am-alright mentality.  I hope that people in distress  then here will not hesistate to seek assistance either from their friends who show care or their loved ones.  We should find solace and support from the ones closest to us if possible.

Personally, a session with a counsellor can bring forth much relief and peace of mind. Often, we do not really need solutions from the counselor but just the opportunity to offload what is on our heart. The human mind is built in such a way that if we keep on accumulating issues and do not discharge them we will explode one day. So take a chance and see a counselor. It is not so frightening after all and certainly not a shameful thing to do.

Financial Counselling

Financial counseling can also be sought at Credit Counselling Center whereby trained officers will try to assist clients who have problem repaying credit loans. They will write in to the respective financial institutions to try to find a way to resolve the crisis. Though I have not seek advice from the center, I have heard from friends that they are effective and reliable. Again, if the person is unwilling to seek help, the resources will go to waste. So pay them a visit and bring with you all the bank loan documents so that they can assist you readily. It is never too late to seek help.

When we break down after a prolonged period of depression the problem may turn chronic requiring medical intervention and sometimes hospitalisation.  This is so unnecessary as Singapore has several hundreds of  certified counsellors with many willingly doing it for free. Transitioning has a team of voluntary qualified counsellors all ready to assist you. Just email me at gilbert@transitioning.org for a counsellor anytime any day. We are here to help you.

A series of failures may culminate in the best possible results. Gisela M. A. Richter

This article first appeared here in Feb 09.

Organising A Time Table When You Are Unemployed

Written by: Gilbert Goh

After idling around for six months and feeling really depressed with all the free time available, I decided to create a time table to fill up my time. The simple timetable looks like this:

0800 – Wake up

0900 – Breakfast. Read a motivational book.

1000 – Send out emails to prospective employers by surfing the jobsites and newspaper

1200 – Lunch break out

1300 – Spent time with mum and daughter or network with other friends. Do some house work.

1500 – Watch TV or siesta

1700 – Prepare for daily jogging at the stadium

1900 – Freshen up and prepare for dinner with family

2100 – Read a motivational book or watch TV

2300 – Sleep and rest

The timetable provided me a daily meaningful structure which I tried my best to adhere to. If not, I would spend many hours behind the PC and there is the feeling that time is wasted. Being a person who is not very disciplined, there are occasions that I wandered away from my timetable but after a week or two I would try to follow the activities again knowing that they are the best for me. A timetable also allowed me to look forward to the activities that I enjoyed. For example, I enjoyed jogging and reading immensely and would look forward to the activities daily. If you enjoy fishing or gardening, factor in some time daily to do the activity that interests you or else the boredom will irk you and darw you up the wall.

Having a time table will also soothe your conscience abit as all along we have adjusted to working and doing stuff. When sudddenly we have tons of time on our hands it can  frustrate us and more seriously we will question our self worth as our mind is hit by doubts about our situation. Having a time table hopefully will close the door on us spending too much time thinking about negative stuff.

The first few hours after waking up is the most difficult for me as I have to face another brand new day of unemployment. There are days that I stayed in bed after wallowing in self pity especially after been axed from my one-month old telemarketing job due to unexplained reasons. It took a lot of mental strength for one to wake up and face another day of no work and emptiness. Unless one has a lot of meaningful things to do at home to occupy his time, a timetable certainly helps one to cope with the large amount of free time on hand. If not, it can make one grow crazy.

It is good sometimes to vary the activities daily as without work life can be mundane and boring. Sometimes, I would take a train to the other end of the line and have my lunch there. This not only break the routine but also gave me a chance to get out of my home. Any normal person who coop up at home for many weeks will feel frustrated and useless.

I also look forward to weekends as they are the best times of the whole week. I get to go out with my family and there is also the break from the boring routine of the week days. Though there are certain restrictions to what we can do due to financial constraints, spending time with my loved ones gave me a lot of theraupetic value that money can’t buy.

On Saturday evening, I also gathered with my friends and watched my favourite English Premier League football matches at the downstairs coffee shops. Besides enjoying the live soccer matches, I also got to chat with my friends and you began to feel that life is not that bad after all.

Volunteering one’s time also help as we are doing something meaningful as we give of our time and self to enliven the lives of the less fortunate. Seeing the underpriviledged living their life will somehow make us feel that we are not alone in our sticky situation. There are others who are worse off than us. Moreover, when we help others,  we will get the feeling that  we are doing something constructive and meaningful which itself is theraupetic.

So get a timetable of fruitful activities going as it not only keep you occupied but also help to maintain your sanity! The idle mind is the devil’s workshop.

Great works are performed, not by speed or strength, but by perseverance. Samuel Johnson

7 Useful Things to Do While You Are Unemployed

Written by: Gilbert Goh

One of the most dreadful outcome of unemployment is the large span of free time we have. Many simply sleep away so that they do not have to think of ways to spend away the emptiness.

Lets face it – having too much time is not a good thing if we do not  know what to do with it. When we are  working, we wish that we have more time to do up our perosnal stuff and some even take medical leave so that they can rest or take a day off from the stress at work.

I use to sleep in the afternoon when I was unemployed as it was not only hot but tiring staring at the PC the whole day. After taking my daily nap, I suffered from insomniac during the evening as my body was still alert. Things became better when I dropped the daily nap from my schedule.  I could sleep better at night.

The internett remained my daily solace for many months and I think this is the case for many who are unemployed out there. We can’t envisage ourselves staring into space with nothing to do every day when we wake up.

So the list goes:

1. Start to  pack your house

I managed to tidy up my house and literally put it into order as I took out old mail and started to remove old clothes as well. I realised that we  accummulated alot of rubbish in our wardrobe and cupboards. With alot of time on my hand, I decided to repack my house and found the experience exhilirating.

A reader in transition told me that he took a month to do up his house after been laid off. He knocked nails on to loosened door planks and tidy up his garden. He found the experience very theraupetic as he was doing something useful with his free time.

Time spent: one week of three hours daily

Result: Satisfying

2.  Going for lunch with my mum

I also decided to lunch with my mum weekly as she came over every weekend to stay with us. It was at first difficult to go lunch with my mum as I did not do that for many decades! We did not talk much anyhow during lunch but the experience was delightful as it cemented our relationship as  monther and son immensely. I wonder how many here bring their mother out for meals regularly besides the annual Mother’s Day event?

I later performed this weekly ritual for many eyars till she has stroke two years ago.  I missed those weekly lunch sessions with my mum but at least I have done it for the past five years.

Time spent: once a week for many years

Result: very satisfying

3. Learn something new

I have managed to learn alot of stuff from the internet. It is a rich resource nest for new information. For example, after a friend helped me to set up this website, I learned much more from meddling around on my own. There is just so much more to learn when you decide to mess around with the wordpress programme. The best part of it is most of the information dished out is free of charge.

Many have also learn how to earn money from selling stuff on ebay and using paypal as a payment engine. A friend I knew make thousands of dollars on the internet selling wrist watches online. The best part is he is still a varsity student!

So go on a free learning experience on the internet. Use it to learn something new every month. Learn to set up your own blogsite using blogspot.com or wordpress. Who knows, you can even earn something from google ads if your site becomes famous!

Time spent: daily

Result: Satisfying

4. Volunteering

I have long being an advocate of volunteerism. It is not only theraupetic but also take things out of your mind.

When one volunteers, we give of ourselves for the welfare of others and alot of good can come out of it often blessing the the one who volunteers as well.

The volunteer gets to see that  there are many others who are worse off than us. I used to work in the Society for The Physically Disabled (SPD) and every week volunteers would join us to help in our disability programmes.

Many are regulars and some even took leave to spend some time with the centre. When asked why do they volunteer rain or shine, their reply is always the same: “I find that after volunteering, my soul is blessed and I left the place a happier person.”

Transitioning has tied up with the disability employment centre Bizlink to match volunteers with thsoe who are working in the  centre. Do elt me know at gilbert@transitioning.org if you are keen.

Time  spent: once a fortnight

Result: very satisfying

5. Keep a journal

With so much time on your hand, it is wise for someone in transition to keep a journal of his life’s journey.

I used to write alot when I was unemployed -  often to vet out my frustrations. Some of my writings got printed on the papers and I have since  contributed regularly to our papers  since 2001. As many as one hundred over letters were printed since then and every month there must be at least five letters that out in the major papers.

I love to write out my thoughts and have find this release very theraupetic for me. In fact, most of  the writings I did on my journal  have appeared in my recent book “How to survive unemployment”.

So do take up a journal and pen your innermost thoughts on it. You never know that a publisher may be keen to take it up as a book project.

Time spent: daily

Result: satisfying

6.  Take up a new hobby

Many others in transition I knew have taken up a new hobby. They could not take it up when they are busy working and there is also  simply not enough time left after work to do so. Now, with much time on hand, many have explore territories that they have not do so before and with good effect.

A friend of mine took up fishing and would go for his new hobby thrice a week. He told me that it was the best time of his life as he had a good severance package and could take up something that he wanted to all along but couldn’t due to time constraint.

Personally, I took up running and have ran in marathons since the fateful period of life in transition.

I contiuned my thrice-weekly running bouts since then. It is not only good for my health but also a strong stress releaser.

So take up something that you have yearn for all along. When you return to work, you may not have any time or energy left. Life is also too short to put up something that you love to do all along but have no time.

Time  spent: as often as possible

Result: very satisfying

7.  Take time to think and redefine your life

Many of us have little time to think for ourselves. After graduating, we were rushed to work, get married, have kids and grow old.

When we retire, many I know regret how many things they have put off due to a lack of time and energy.

In fact, for some, being lay off may be the best thing that could happen to you. Now, you have time to think and perhaps redefine your life’s priorities and goals. Are you just going to be a person who is known to be just an excellent worker? Will there be regrets when you retire and try to turn back the clock. Time and tide waits for no man i heard.

With so much time after being laid off, it may be good to think through what will be your life’s goals from now on.  Do they need redining?

What kind of life’s legacy will you want to left behind? When you pass on, how will people remember you? Will you be remembered as a good conscientious executive, a good husband and father or a dear friend whom people can count on and t urn to? Hopefully, your life will change for the better after life in transition.

Time spent: as often as possible

Result: long lasting legacy

I hope that I have left behind enough resources for one to spend the tons of time he has on hand.

Always remember that time once left behind can never be turned back.  Use it wisely in whatever situation you are in right now.

Positive Thinking For The Recently Jobless – Reading Helps

Written By: Gilbert Goh

It is so important to stay positive and  on top of the situation when you are being laid off. Again, this is easier say than done. When one is jobless, negativity tends to flood the mind of the person. It is not surprising that the  unemployed are often depressed and pessimistic. For those who are recently laid off or just graduated,  staying positive is paramount to landing the next job as your body language will betray your emotional thermometer during an interview. Research has shown that how you think will affect how you act out physically.  So do guard what goes into your mind daily.

As unemployment has no fixed time frame and light is often unseen in the long dark tunnel, desperation and panic will set in after a month or two of quiet relaxation at home. There is always the fear of the unknown for the unemployed – when will it end for me? Unfortunately,  for the jobless, there is no knowing how long one will stay unemployed – it could be one month, one year or even two years. This is what I think will break the strongest camel’s back. It is like a slow tissue-eating cancerous virus that keeps nipping at one’s confidence and faith.

Personal Struggles

I have to battle an extremely difficult situation at home when my wife could immediately found work after returning abroad in 2001. It is tough to pass the day alone at home when my wife woke up daily in the morning and go for work in her corporate suit. It made me felt lousy and useless. Much of my whatever left-over ego is crushed and esteem thrashing at rock bottom. It took me a long time to get out of the ego trap and learnt to appreciate the fact that at least one person in the household is earning an income. It would be disastrous if both of us are jobless as we still have a private apartment mortgage to pay and a young daughter to raise.

The internal struggles within me are real and this unbalanced situation at home was by far the most difficult emotional battle for me during that period. There is the fear of losing respect and control at home which is so real for the Asian family man.

However one real positive outcome of the situation was that I humbled myself a lot and learned to treat my wife as an equal partner more than ever before. Many I know have lost their families as a result of not handling such delicate family dynamics well enough. It is alright for a woman to lose her job and stay at home for a year but not so for the man. He will be branded a failure and a loser for sure. The Asian man has attached too much of their self worth in the society by virtue of their work. When one loses his job, he loses not only the income but more importantly his life goal and self. This expectation to perform well at work stresses the modern man who will also feel that the world has collapsed on him when he loses his job. We are all trapped by this vicious cycle of performance.

Positive Effects Of Reading

Coming back to my story, it was only after six months of unemployment that I began to realize that much of my struggles are internal – it is more psychological than financial. Of course, having no money to pay bills and meet mortgage repayment is pretty stressful but nothing beats the emotional turmoil that rocked inside a man’s life. Unless he manages his emotion well enough he will face an uphill task to face up to his jobless state.

I began to read a lot motivational books to gear up my adversity quotient. As I am a good reader all along, this was an easy task. I read widely but fortunately, I am more into psychological and motivational books and this was a major plus for me when I tried to get out of the depressive rut.

Right after I woke up daily, I would pore over books such as “Tuesdays With Morris” or “The Monk who rides Ferrari” to stock up those feel-good mind waves. I must have read “Tuesdays With Morris” at least five times as I found the book inspiring and meaningful. I found the chapters refreshing every time I re read them again. It was like I was learning new truths from old chapters. Sometimes, the chapters so moved me that tears would gather.

I slowly crawled out of my dark cocoon for which I have taken refuge in for the past six months. I began to repeat positive statements to myself and learn to apply cognitive behaviour theory (CBT) which I learnt from psychology books. By thinking positively and differently from my usual negative thoughts, I realized that how I think often dictates how I approach my problem. Of course, it is easier say than done and there are occasional lapses back to a period of depression. But such negative feelings never lasted more than a week as my reading habit will jolt me out of the depressed mood. This reading habit was one of the main factors that gradually helped me overcame my depression. To this day, I still read regularly without fail often focusing on motivational material. I want to fill my mind with positive words than those negative newspaper reporting.

Another area that I focused on to fill my mind with positive language is reading up motivational websites. In this world of internet age, many of the materials can be downloaded from the web free of charge. I was told that in future, they will not print any more books but one can just go to the web to read a book. It is called digital books. How cool!

Motivational Websites

Several websites which I often go to for free positive materials are:

1. Beliefnet website – www.beliefnet.com – this web has a lot of motivational material and is like a huge resource center. I read a lot of their articles and there is a daily inspiration story that will be emailed to me so I just need to click on the link to read the story. Articles such as “How to Stay Sober When down” and “Finding relief when you are feeling painful” can be downloaded from the site. A must read website if you are down.
2. Food for thought website – www.foodforthought.com – this is another must-have website for inspirational reading. Every day, a whole story will be emailed to me for my reading pleasure. The stories are both encouraging and motivational and tend to perk one up.
3. Inspiration peak – www.inspirationpeak.com –
This is also another inspirational website and it has a daily story, poem, quote and idea so that you will feel psyched to live another day fruitfully after reading.

Recommended Books

There are a list of books that I have recommended here for inspirational reading and are available at most major bookstores. I must have read at least fifty books during that dark period and I have listed just ten of my best must-read books here to keep those negative thoughts away:

1. Tuesdays with Morrie (Author Mitch Albom)

This is my all-time favourite and contained a lot of truth and very good reflective writing. It is an account of a Detriot Free Press journalist recounting his weekly Tuesday meetings with his college professor Morrie Schwartz. I must have read it five times over different period of my life. I never failed to enjoy it every time I re-read it. Sure to perk one’s mood up whenever things are down. An easy read on the bus or MRT journey.

2. The Road Less Travelled (Author M Scott Peck)

The author is a psychiatrist and wrote on spiritual psychology often exposing his own life stories when he related certain truth. He also anonymously recounted his therapy practices with certain clients on the book. Dr Peck wrote frankly that life is difficult and we all struggled. The classic was sold over 6 million copies and translated into 20 languages.

3. Rich Dad Poor Dad (Author Robert T. Kiyosaki/Sharon L. Lechter)

This is an invaluable book advocating financial independence through investing. Certain investment principles are worth following and it provides hope that the average person can slowly achieve financial independence through certain well-experienced principles. It is more like a textbook so one needs patience to go through the thick book. Neverthless very motivational.

4. The 7 Habits if Highly Effective People (Author Stephen Covey)

Another classic that does not really need much introduction. It advocates personal and professional effectiveness and detailed seven ways to doing it. Readers are drawn to the step-by-step principles behind the huge success of this book. Personally, I have kept this more like a reference book and would pore over certain principles from time to time. As it is also rather thick, one needs at least a few weeks to finish it but definitely worth the time and effort.

5. The power of positive thinking (Author Norman Vincent Peale)

Another big classic that never fails to inspire which I must have read at least thrice. There are a lot of truths in this book and one does not have to follow the chapters in sequence but can be read in an adhoc manner as each chapter addresses certain issue. AS I like to read in the toilet I have kept this book nearby so that my mind is filled with positive words on a daily basis even when I am doing my business! A must-have book in this down time for the depressed. A cuppa of positive thinking is better than ten cups of caffein.

6. Psycho Cybernetics (Author Dr Maxwell Maltz)

The author, a psychologist, wrote that happiness and success are habits so are failure and misery. It advocated that negative habits can be changed by presenting positive attitude as means for change. This book opens my mind to the world of cognitive behavioural theory (CBT) – the ability to change one’s perception of our situation by adopting a different mindset. It is also written rather technically so only read it when you are clear headed and in the best of mental health. If you want to learn change your mindset to solve a problem that torments you, this is another must-read book for the long term.

7. Man’s search for meaning (Author Victor Frankl)

A book that never fails to inspire even after several re-read and one of my very best. It is also considered the most influential psychiatric literature since Freud. The author, a psychiatrist who survived Holocaust, was imprisoned in Auschwitz Austria and other concentration camps over 5 years. During that period, he struggled to find reason to live as human lives were widely discarded. He later developed the logotherapy theory whereby he argued that man’s deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose for living. This book should be read first among the lot as it reinforced our value system in living despite the recession and downturn. If the author can go through five hellish years in concentration camps,how can we say that we can’t survive in our own difficulty?

8. Don’t sweat the small stuff – and it’s all in the small stuff (Author Richard Carlson)

A very motivational book that is easy to read. It has many chapters and each chapter deals with different issues. The book also provides a lot of tips on how to keep our emotions in check. The author uses his own life experiences to show how the advice works and realizes that it is not all just theory. Definitely perks you up when the chips are down any day and can be re-read over and over again without feeling stale.

9. Living the simple life (Author Elaine St James)

Another classic that I picked up when I was feeling burnt out many years back. The slogan of living simply must have struck many people at some point in their life. The author had a successful professional career in a property firm but later decided to move out for a more stress-free life in the countryside with her family. The whole book detailed how one can live simply in a very practical manner as she herself has successfully tried it. A book that I have read several times over without feeling bored.

10. What colour is your parachute (Author Dick Bolles)

This is almost like a job search manual for the job seekers. If you decide just to read only one book in your whole life, this is the one! It is hugely successful book with 8 million copies sold and was listed 288 times on the New York Times best seller list. It is not surprising that this book is so successful as it addresses many issues that affect the job seeker. From how to conduct oneself during interview to doing up a professional resume – this book addresses everything that concerns the job seeker. A must have book that provide a lot of tips and advices to land that job. There is also a website www.jobshunterbible.com founded by the author addressing all the issues pertaining to job hunting. Go check it out.

As there are many inspirational books out there, one just need to go to the internet to search for them and read one that interests you specifically. The important thing is to read them. If you do not have the reading habit, earnestly cultivate it by starting to read a book a month. As a book normally has around 150 pages, one needs to read 5 pages a day to finish a book in a month. Reading seriously will help you to tide over those difficult period as it not only uses up a lot of those spare free time but also provide you with positive inspirational input on a daily basis. If you conquer the mind you conquer everything.

Life is unchartered territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time. Leo Buscaglia

Some readers have asked me to re post some articles that they have missed out earlier for the benefit of those who are new to the site. This article was first posted in Feb 09.

How To Raise Money When You Need It Urgently

Written By: Gilbert Goh
Besides borrowing, there are many ways to raise money from what we have on hand. Many resort to loan sharks and ended up worse off than before. Loan sharks not only charge an imposing interest of around 20% a month but also may resort to violence to get back their money.

I will try to list out several ways that I have used to raise ready cash during my period of joblessness. Hopefully, this will benefit readers who will face financial pressure as a resukt of prolonged unemployment.

Borrowing Against Insurance Policies

During my down period, I managed to raise almost $20,000 just by pledging my five insurance policies to my insurance company without further questions asked. There is no need for collateral and certainly no need to show proof of income. You are actually borrowing your own money from the insurance policies’ cash value.

I was thankful that during those good times, I managed to set aside a substantial amount of premiums ($500-600 a month) for my insurance policies. Over the years, substantial cash value was accumulating in my insurance policies. The loan amount was enough for me to tide over at least twelve months if I use it sparingly. There is no need to pay back the loan if you are unable to though there is an interest attached to it. I think it is not more than 5% per annum. In the event of a payout due to death or disability, the loan amount is less from the insurance coverage.

To this day, I am thankful that I have deposited such a large sum of money into my insurance policies by way of monthly deduction. During rainy days, the loan that I could borrow easily provide a life line for me to tide over a difficult period.

Incidentally, an insurance loan is not equal to a closure of insurance policies. One may be tempted to close up all insurance policies as premiums are still payable for the policies to be in full force. This is a very wrong decision as our family needs the money more when something happens to us prematurely especially in those down time. One can however ask for a premium policy, incorporated in some insurance policies so that premiums will be frozen for a certain limited period. Of course, the cash value will also be affected when one applies premium holiday in the insurance policies. Do check with your insurance advisor if you want to know more about such loan stuff.

Second Hand Goods

Another easy way to raise instant cash is to sell away what you do not need at home. As I bought a lot of CDs and VCDs during my good years, I managed to sell them away to second hand shops located in some HDB area to raise cash during a very difficult period. Nevertheless, the resale value is very low. I remembered selling away a original CD costing around $20.00 for a dollar and a VCD for $1.50. Handphones are also readily exchangeable for cash especially in second hand handphone shops. Some friends told me to go to ebay website to market my products. Buyers are willing to pay more than second hand retail shops. It is well known that during down times, the Yahoo sales website exploded as many people desperate for cash posted their items on the site for sales. However, I could not find the technical expertise to navigate round ebay website to sell my stuff. I may consider hawking my second hand goods if they bring back the old Sungei Road! Desperate times need desperate measures!

Recall Back Loans

Try to recall back loans to friends that were made long ago until they were forgotten. I managed to savage back a few thousand dollars for a loan made to a friend many years back. I did not ask for repayment as it was a good friend and the amount was not a lot ($5000). Nevertheless, when one is unemployed, five thousand dollars is a huge sum of money and can last me 2-3 months. Though the friend was reluctant to return the amount, my desperation and urgency in my plea moved him to make out a cheque for $5000. To this day, I am thankful for that friend who is willing to return the sum of money which came in handy for some urgent bills. He can choose to avoid me or fabricate a story not to return the amount which actually happened to another friend of mine. I rather not disclose the story here as it is not a positive one. So when the chips are down, try to retrace back those loans made out to friends when you are riding high. It is time to recall those loans back as your friends may be doing better than you now.

Part Time Work

I didn’t know that there is a flourishing part time employment in the market until I was unemployed. There are many jobs that pay by the hour out there – the only thing is whether you are willing to do them.

For example, the mover business always have a shortage of workers. Workers come and go as the job is temporal and demanding. Movers spent up to 6 hours a day moving heavy household items up and down stairs. The pay is miserly – around $50. However, when one is desperate such work is in demand and sometimes there is no lack of workers lining up to do them. Due to a chronic poor back, I have never attempted to move furniture before except for the occasional help rendered to help friends move their items when they shift home.

Telemarketing is also in demand, whether it is in a down or up period. They also pay by the hour and can run on shift work. I managed to secure a one-month telemarketing job that paid $7.00 an hour during that period. All I need to do is to contact the clients to change some of their data. To me, it is easy money and my only regret is that the assignment ended after one month. I also managed to make some good friends there and kept in contact for a while before the out-of-sight-out-of-touch syndrome took over. So if you need to, there are regular part time jobs out there for the taking. It is all over the papers and spread also through word of mouth.

Sell Your Shares

Of course, if you have any stocks and shares it is good to slowly sell them to raise cash. I made the mistake of waiting too long to sell off some shares and in the end they were worth much less than if I were to sell them off in the beginning of the downturn. I am no financial stock guru here and the only advice I can give is to liquidate your positions if you are unemployed as cash is king in a recession unless you are in a very cash rich position.

Sell Your Car

A  friend of mine also had to sell of her car during the down turn as she could not handle the repayment of the loan comfortably. She told me that she was very reluctant to hand over the key on the day of transition and was depressed for a while. So be prepared for the day when you have to part away with your possessions. It can be quite traumatic especially if it is an item of sentimental origin like one’s home. This is so true especially for men who tend to view their possessions as a reflection of their status and esteem. It is time to refocus where our true happiness will be during this recession. There should be less pursuit of materialism but more emphasis on building up relationship.

Pawn Shops

Pawn shops are also doing a roaring business during down times when people start to pawn away their belongings that are of value. Though pawning can give you instant cash, there is still the stigma of visiting a pawn shop. I remembered when I decided to pawn away some items to raise cash, I wore a baseball cap to hide away in case some friends spotted me. There is still the shame to visit a pawn shop as though you are a loser which is not the case as it is a legitimate legalized lending institution and can be a source of help when one is financially down.

Pawn shops operated by lending you cash over interest for an item of value such as gold chains, luxurious watch pieces and diamonds. I was surprised that pawn shops charged less than 2% interest for a three to six month loan period. Nevertheless, they only lend you an amount much reduced in value to the item that you pawned. For example, if you decide to pawn a gold chain and the current market value is $1000, you may only get a loan for $750 as if you defaulted in payment at the end of the loan period, the chain belonged to the pawn shop. Suffice to say, pawn shops are also out there to do a business and they need the margin to survive when you defaulted. As you still need to return the loan to the shop, pawn shops can only be temporary emergency places that provide you cash for a certain period to tide over. If you can return the money on time, pawn shops will make fantastic legal loan institutions as their interest rate is super low compare to financial houses (12% up) and loan sharks (20% up).

The major difference between a pawn shop and a loan shark is that the interest rate is very small for the pawn shops and they don’t go around pouring paint over the loan taker’s homes if the person defaults in payment. I am surprised that only uncles and aunties visit pawn shops. Executives need to know that pawn shops provide cheap loans to tide over a difficult period and should never be shunned like parasites. Some pawn shops are well renovated and except for those ugly iron bars that shield you from their officers, they are decent business places to visit. You can even haggle for them to give you a better rate if you are a regular customer.

My mum ever told me that she had pawned away her pair of gold bracelets close to ten times so that she has cash to tide over when we were much poorer and younger. However, my heart sunk when I realized that recently her pair of gold bracelets were no where close on her hands. Maybe she could not pay up the loan amount readily and the pawn shops had confiscated them for sales at their shops. I did not ask her about it for fear that it may stir up unpleasant memories.

Rent Out Apartment

To raise cash, a friend of mine took the drastic step to rent out his 2-bedroom private apartment for around $2,500 during that down period and moved his whole family of four to stay with his in-law in a HDB 3-room flat. The rental amount was sufficient to repay the monthly bank mortgage with some spare change. It was a drastic step and it worked for him. His family was less stressed and life went on as normal as before. If you have have family members who are willing to let you stay with them for decent rental, such a step seems feasible and could provide you a stable monthly financial return to help you tide things over the mid term.

I am sure many others have their own way of raising cash for emergency use. Some extreme cases include selling one’s pet to raise cash whereas others resort to breeding their pets to sell the puppies. Others prostitute their bodies to live one more week. Some I heard went for those new drug trial in hospitals and received adequate compensation for their bodies that were clinically tested. We all have different ways of raising cash when we are at the end of the rope and I should not comment too much here as we all live our life differently. People will resort to extreme measures to raise cash when they are strapped and in urgent need. Some who experienced extreme stress over a prolonged period will even resort to taking one’s life to end their misery. Such is the harshness of today’s society and sadly only the fittest survives.

Borrowing  As Last Resort

Borrowing is by far the easiest but yet the most humbling experience for many to raise cash in this down time. I am not advocating that people who are cash strapped go round borrowing money from friends but when at one’s wit end there is simply no choice and this remain the best option besides going to the loan shark or doing something illegally.

I remembered when I approached friends for loans, I did it when I was in dire straits and that there was no other way out. The thought of asking them out for a cash loan already freaks me out. Moreover, aS you also need to return the loan money, it will be difficult if you have to regularly see the person either in the office or in a church setting. There is also the fear that the person will slip out and share it with others. I would not recommend borrowing from office colleagues as once it is leaked out the whole office will know and not many people will react kindly to such news. I think friends whom you know well and are your buddies are the best people that you can approach for loans. AS they know you well, they are also sympathetic and will be understanding of your situation. Such friends are hard to come by these days and there will be some that will avoid you once they know that you are in dire straits. They will return to your side only when they know that you are doing better. So much for a friend in need is a friend indeed.

So how much should you borrow? I don’t think there is a ballmark figure here but anything between $1000 to $3000 is manageable. Remember that you need to return the money so the more you borrow the more you need to return. Some may also lend you an amount lesser than you wanted and there is nothing that you can do about it. Some may also ask for an IOU and if you sign on the dotted line it becomes an official loan document that can be used against you in the court of law in the event of a dispute. There are some friendships whom I have heard went sour due to a loan dispute and it is wise to lend from people whom you really know and trust. The last thing you want is someone suing you to return the loan when you are still down and out.

So far, none of my friends have asked me to sign anything and except for one none has chased me for repayment. I have slowly pay off my loans to friends but not entirely yet. So the key message here is to only borrow when all avenues are close and borrow from close friends who have supported you all these years. As money is a very sensitive issue, it is wise to think twice before resorting to borrowing from relatives. You never know when they may backfire on you. Many also approach their own family members such as brothers and sisters first. Though it is easier to approach them but take note that some siblings do not take to lending money kindly even for their own kind and this may breed bad blood in the family. So do think twice about borrowing from siblings also though it sounds easier. If they refuse to lend you the cash, the disappointment may be catastrophic for you and even affect the kindship. The news may also spread within the whole family network and if discretion is what you need then borrowing from siblings may not be a wise move.

I am always eternally grateful for my group of friends that stood by me when the chips are down and that is essentially what true friends are for. Those who avoided you when you are down are apparently not your good friends and you can let them go in peace.

Some of you may resort to gambling which is rampant during lean times. Especially for the lower income, this is a form of get-rich-fast scheme. Betting on Toto and 4D increase during periods of recession as people want a chance to get instant cash quickly. Our easy access to those hundreds of betting booths apread round the island give us the convenience to wager some money for huge sums in return. I wonder how many people lost more of their money when they resort to gambling than keeping them in their wallet. I always see long queues of elderly people during 4D days and it is not uncommon to see some office people in ties joining the queue too. I find that gambling not only drain your money but also give you the false hope that there may be real chance of a win on that feel-good days. When the numbers don’t come in good, your lucky days may turn to sorrow. A friend tried this method of putting all his wager money on match days into a tin box. He was shocked to realize that not only the numbers did not strike any 4D prices but that his tin book grew a few hundreds every month. That was the time that he quitted betting on those dreadful numbers any more. However it is easier say than done. Many have wagered on 4D since they are in their twenties right up to their golden years. To ask them to completely stop gambling is like asking them to stop eating. It has become a part of their lifestyle and habit. If need to, approach a counselor to help you ease your gambling habit. Many families were ruined as a result of gambling problem. So please lay off wagering on those numbers that have high odds of striking

Debt Problem

Many people  during financial distress tend to to  roll over their credit payment i.e. they only paid the minimum sum payment. Bankruptcies also rose to 290 in September 08 from August 08’s figure of 240. During the Sars period in 2003, a total of 5,400 people became bankrupt. I am afraid bankruptcy figure will rise in the coming months as the meltdown hit not only Singapore but the world. IT is a global recession and looks very ugly.

Jackpot machines also became many past-time habit during a recession as they give people a chance to make some money and also to kill a lot of idle time. Many I know went to the slot machines so that they can block off those frustrating thoughts on their mind. I remembered I was working then and was addicted to the one-armed bandit for almost a year when I was young and it took me a lot of effort for me to pull myself away from the machine. Many people that I knew from the jackpot room have family problems and they went there to unwind and distress. Nevertheless, the one-armed bandit has being known to be very addictive and I have seen families destroyed by this slot game.

During that period, I lost a few hundred dollars a month and the thrill that I had during those winning moments far surpassed my monthly losses. Sometimes, I would stay the whole Sunday there from day to night. I realized the whole reason I went for the game was that I was very bored and did not have many friends to go out with during weekend. Life was also very mundane and work was routine. I knew I was becoming addicted as I would have to pull the machines at least thrice a week to ease the addiction feeling. I later began to ask some friends out and slowly the habit of going to the machines for a few spins was removed. To this day, I have not touch a jackpot machine since except for the occasional overseas urge especially in Gentings.

I hope that I have given some valuable tips on how to raise some cash during those tough period. It is good to list down those avenues that you can go to when you are still working and financially sound. This is call preparation for the worse. When you are really down to your last dollar, you may not have the right frame of mind to think rationally on how to raise money. Your desperation may also drive you to do something silly to look for cash. So it is good to be ready and prepared when the crunch time arrives. You just need to activate those instruments to get cash.

If you want to approach the government’s welfare arm at Community Development Council (CDC) for some welfare money, it may take a good 4-6 weeks for them to process your application and there is no guarantee that you will be successful. So do it earlier is wise.

The fullness of life is in the hazards of life. Edith Hamilton

Written by: Gilbert Goh

This article first appeared here in July 09.

A friend recently told me that he will be retrenched by the end of July as his company is suffering massive losses from the current recession. As the doom days get nearer, he became rather edgy.  This is his third time out of work after staying jobless for a few months last year. He only works in his current job for less than a year. He is in his mid thirties  and is married without a child yet. He is in the IT industry.

To cut cost, he also stays with his parents for fear that he could not fork out the mortgage repayment as even new HDB flats have skyrocketted in price.  During the last time that he was jobless, in his desperate moments, he told me that he had to dish out coins from his piggy bank to get by. When he told me that, tears gathered  at the corner of my eyes.  His story reminded me of how I have to scrape the bottom of my daughter’s piggy bank to get food when I was desperate. I guess many people who are jobless out there are hanging on a thin thread. Many will be desperate and stories abound of how some have to resort to borrowing to tide through this current downturn. The very desperate few will turn to loan sharks to put food on the table. Turning to loan sharks not only deepen the financial crisis due to their exorbitant interest rates but also jeopardise the family’s stability as loan sharsk are known to resort to unethical tactics to retrieve loans back.

Adversity Quotient Raised During Unemployment

In his book “Adversity quotient: Turning Obstacles Into Opportunites”, the author Paul G Stoltz wrote   that there are three kinds of people in this world – the campers, quitters and climbers: “Climbers will take the risks,  withstand the challenges,  overcome the fear, maintain their vision,  take the lead and tough it out until the job is finished.”  Stoltz also wrote that climbers  face similar insurmountable odds as campers and quitters but they chose to fight on and never give up. They saw the  value of their perseverance and  also know the benefits of incremental steps to attaining a goal. Climbers are also self motivated and live life purposefully carving out opportunities for themsleves when others have given out.

Many successful entrepreneurs overcame huge odds to be where they are right now.  They took risk and press on despite a tough climb uphill. When others give up, they move on and when they reach the summit, they reap the rewards of their ascend.

One can, however,   never be fully  prepared for a recession unless he has a very strong financial standing. Many people when they lost their jobs understandably suffered from a loss of self esteem and confidence. Some, like me, would hide away in their closet afraid to reveal themselves to the world that they are jobless. The unemployed face a sense of shame often associated with those who are useless and untalented – more of a loser. This thinking is not only erroneous but harmful to the mind. The unemployed face a barrage of issues affecting the mind, spirit and definitely the pocket. The worse is that our  joblessness has no time line.  We won’t  know  when we will be able to get the next job and this will be the stuff  that will test the mantle of a person’s spirit. One needs to press on despite mounting adversities and persevere till they achieve victory.

Those who have regularly face adversity in their life may be able to handle joblessness better than those who have a  smoother path in life. Joblessness, to me, is more an emotional crisis than a physical one. If you are hardened by life’s adversities there is a high chance that you are better prepared to manage the emotional upheaval related to unemployment. Those who belong to the optimistic type and are naturally positive will also take ownership of the situation and try to create their own solutions.

The Painful Story Of Eagles

I want to relate a story about eagles. Eagles can live up to 70  years but they have to make a difficult decision when they are at 40  years old. It’s long and flexible talons can no longer grab preys which serve as food. It’s long and sharp beak becomes bent.  It’s old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become  stuck to it’s chest and make it difficult to fly.  The eagle is only left with two choices now: die or go through a painful process of change which takes up to 150 days.  The painful process requires that  the eagle to fly to the mountain top and sits on its nest. Then the eagle knocks it’s beck against the rock until it is plucked out.

After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out it’s talons.  When it’s new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking it’s old-aged feathers.  And after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for another thirty more  years.  ( Click here to see the presentation clip on the eagle story).

What can we learn from the story of the eagles? I guess it’s quite plain here that to fly higher when we aged we need to rejuvenate ourselves and often that is  a painful process. This may apply to those middle aged PMETs who are retrenched and battle against insurmountable odds to get back to employment again.  We may need to ask ourselves whether we want to go through some painful transformation or simply waste away.

I must say that once we are able to manage our emotions, it is easier for a person to go through life’s adversity as he is prepared and hardened. However,  a person can only be hardened when he is prepared to go through life’s adversities.  There is no short cut to how one can raise one’s adversity quotient.  I am afraid most Singaporeans, especially those who have just graduated,  will find the journey tough going as we all have a blessed life in calamity-free Singapore.  We do not have earthquakes, floods, plagues, wars or famines. Our population has enjoyed great economic success for many decades and our government is tip-top in it’s delivery of solid  infrastructure so much so that we are ill-prepared for any upset in our psyche.  Even some of our our bus terminals now are aircon!

Lessons Learned From Our Adversity

Frankly speaking, we can learn much from the current recession. Though the journey can be  challenging and hard, I am sure that we all will be much toughed the setback. Some may even come out of their comfort zone and be a better person. Singaporeans are often chided to be kuaisu and kuasi. I am afrid to say that there is some truth to that. Many simply do not want to step out and take calculated risks in doing something that they are not comfortable with. We are having too a good a life for the past decade without having to strive or do much to make a living. It is perhaps this reason that many Singaporeans lost out to their outer Asian counterparts in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan who are very entrepreneurial and creative. Their economic situation is different from ours and they need to be very astute and street smart to carve out a living for themselves.

I have worked in China before and many Chinese people have no choice but to set up their own businesses to make a living. As they have no education nor any connection, many could not find work easily and choices are limited. Many are one-man businesses  operating from homes or sidewlaks. People hawk all over the place and some have operate such stalls for decades.  It is not surprising that due to their economic situation, they have to depend on themselves rather than on the government or their friends to survive. There is simply no choice and that perhaps could be something that we all do not lack all along in Singapore. Graduates have jobs waiting for them sometimes a year beforet hey graduate. Some can job hop easily and others headhunted to jump ship for a few thousand dollars more. We have too many choices for our own good. Suddenly, when the good choices all dry up we panic. We are so unused to waiting for jobs, normally they will be waiting for us and what plentiful choices too!

Some later turn hopeless as they wait for jobs that never come  for many months and some even years. They have turned desolate and  frankly are no longer proactive in seeking after work when they get too used to being staying unemployed. Some turn very negative even rejecting job offers for fear that they could not perform due to their serious dip in self confidence. They could not control their life events and over a prolonged period that will sap out whatever  self confidence that is left within the person. Thus, it is so important to check ourselves and always stay positive. How we react to our situation is more important than the issue itself.

Our natural  tendency to depend on others for a job may work counter to developing  our adverity’s quotient. We have turn over the risk taking part to the employer when we always turn to others to provide us a job and income. Many have never think of using whatever inherent skills they have and convert that into income generating instruments.

If possible, go for relevant upgrading subsidised courses that our government agencies are advocating all this way but make job searching your own priority. I am not in favour  for people who approach their Members of Parliament (MP) to look for job. They will simply refer you to the Community Development Council (CDC).  Don’t get me wrong. What you do is a personal choice but looking for work should I believe be your personal journey.

Nevertheless, it takes a a very blessed person to go through unemployment unscarred and any time frame that exceeds a year as an unemployed is considered chronic.  The official tag for long termed unemployed (LTU) is 6 months now and according to last Sunday’s article (5 July) there are  as many as 16,000 people belonging to this category.

One suspects that those who are jobless for a few years have given up looking altogether and may even need some form of professional counseling to help them overcome certain personal inhibitions. Those who are laid off often felt responsible that perhaps they have not perform up to the mark. This is erroneous thinking as during an economic downturn, employers lay off their workers chiefly because of an adverse economic climate and not the productivity of their staff.

It is common for sales and marketing staff to be laid off on the first line of fire as sales dwindled. Consumers will hold on to cash and everything slows down especially in the retail sector when there is a recession. So when we are retrenched, the most important thing to do is not to blame ourselves too much. Being jobless is already very stressful, we don’t need to over burden ourselves unnecessarily.

Personal Mission

Thus, have a personal mission ready when you go through unemployment. Take it as a personal journey that you have to go through to achieve something in return. Write out what you want to learn from this journey of yours. Do you want to spend more time with your loved ones? Write it down. Do you want to take up something that you could not do when you are working full time? Check it. How about trying out some jobs that you won’t consider due to prejudice or pride? A friend of mine try out being a security guard for a period even though he is a graduate. He told me that though he needed the money, he did  it more  to try out the vocation  to see what it was like.  When he found another job, he left that industry. Not only did he learned much humility along the way but that he had gone way out of his comofrt zone when he became a security officer.  He told me that he treasured his current job more more now after becoming a guard for about six months.

Many jobless people I know volunteer their time at some welfare homes that they care about when they are out of work.  Others simply chill out at home and spend quality time with their family members.

If not, simply let life’s event mound you and  be asuured that  you will come out a better  person after the ordeal capable of doing something impactful  for yourself and others later on. Live life meaningfully and left a legacy behind.

To end,  Victor Frankl, survivor of the Nazi concentration camp and  author of “Man’s Search For Excellence”,  wrote that he saw many prisoners lost hope in the prison camp. Many died soon after as they could not find any hope in their situation. Those prisoners who manage to rise above the situation and find renewed hope and have faith in themselves managed to escape death in seemingly impossible situation.

What is to give light must endure burning. Victor Frankl

This article first appeared here in Aug 09.

Bankruptcy Option For The Unemployed

Written By: Gilbert Goh

Should one consider bankruptcy when he  is unemployed and facing massive financial debts? Unless the retrenched has strong financial reserves or have learn to spend prudently before he goes jobless, this is one option that the unemployed  will consider when press against the wall by creditors.

One of the key backlash of unemployment  is financial distress. Bills are often left unpaid and non payment of big ticket items like mortgages and credit cards invite adverse  legal consequences. There is simply no income coming in when one is jobless and it is not surprising that we see  a spike of  bankrupt cases during an  economic crisis.  There are relatively few options to choose from when one owes the bank here.

In Singapore, one can be made bankrupt if his credit debts exceed  $10,000.  Being a bankrupt here is troublesome as he could not open a savings account and his career options are also limited for certain industries  such as in the  banking and finance sector. He also has no access to any other bank loans limiting his option for any future housing purchase.

Even though he may later pay off his owed debts during bankruptcy and discharged as a bankrupt, his tarnished record is still locked in with the Credit Bureau for many more years.  The Bankruptcy Act kept changing over the years and it may be good to check out with the Credit Bureau to find  out any other alternatives besides going the bankruptcy route.

Credit Bureau

It is easier now for   a bankrupt to discharge oneself out of bankruptcy and many have benefitted from new  business-related bankruptcy law.  In a drive to persuade more Singaporeans to be entreprenurial,  banks are encouraged to be more forgiving of debts related to business failure than personal overspending.

More importantly, the Credit Bureau   has  perform the mediation role remarkably well negotiating between the creditor and the debtor. They will try to iron out a viable option for repayment and many people have benefitted from their service. Simply call out a financial advisor from the bureau and they will do the rest. Moreover, their services are free of charge.

Nevertheless, no one wants to be a bankrupt unless he has no further alternatives. Bankruptcy is often a shameful option that most Singaporeans do not want to associate with. They would rather borrow and owe loan sharks than  the banks and be made a bankrupt.  On the other hand, I have met bankrupted friends who live life as normal as before.  Some also get to travel out of the country after lodging their travel request with the relevant ministry. One I heard even work abroad for close to 2 years as an undischarged bankrupt.  To be a bankrupt  is  not as bad as one thinks. It is not the end of the world.

Overspending and Undersaving

Personally, I am known to be a spendthrift and have never learn to save much when I started to work. The only time that I saved up was when I needed money to get married with my wife. I saved five hundred dollars a month in the now-defunct POSB Save-As-You-Earn (SAYE) account and managed to accumulate close to $15,000 in the savings account. Nevertheless, the habit never took off after my marriage and I spent like there is no tomorrow.

I have two credit facilities – a $5,000 credit card and a $11,000 overdraft facility which I kept to this present day. I guess in Singapore one can never run away from spending beyond one’s means – that is we revolve ourselves around credit facilities. We live in our home using the loan taken from the bank. The same goes for our car, education and holiday. How much loan one takes is very personal and each has their own threshold of comfort in how much they want to owe the bank. Just remember that if you can’t pay the bank consistently, one will get into all sorts of legal trouble which is common knowledge for all by now. In fact, during a recession, more people will pile up their debts as they run into all kids of problems. This not only increase their stress level but the threat of bankruptcy may even loom for some. Most banks will sadly remove their umbrella when the rain storm arrives.

I was nearly made a bankrupt when I ignored my credit card bills for a few months during that period. The situation was so bad that you would not bother whether the banks will made you a bankrupt or not. Apathy sets in and I played a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with the banker. Fortunately, wisdom prevailed before they went to the court to file for bankruptcy proveedings against me and I managed to pay off an agreed amount so that they will let me off. Bankruptcy brings forth a lot of inconveniences to one’s life chief of which concern re-employment as certain industries will not consider bankrupts as their employees. The financial sector is one such industry. Moreover, you will not be able to get any housing loan in future and this may inconvenience you if you want to buy a house when times get better for you.

Spending On Credit

So if possible, pay off your credit card debts entirely or at least the minimal sum monthly so that your credit worthiness is still intact. It is important if you want to buy house and borrow from the bank.

For me, I would pay the minimal sum every month and roll the balances over the next month. I know that this is not ideal but I have no choice as I do not have the money to pay off one lump sum. I believe many people out there belong to this category and trust me this is financially imprudent. The credit card interest of 24% a year is astronomical and can only be surpassed by those illegal loan shark in the open market.

When I was unemployed, those credit facilities landed me in a lot of trouble as I could not handle the monthly repayment without defaulting occasionally. There was the occasional lawyer’s letters to pay up or else. Banks have the usual habit of only seeking legal recourse when a customer defaulted on the repayment schedule which does not help the consumers much. What they can do is to seek a win-win situation when the consumers can pay within his means (paying the interest only) and the bank can still revert back to the usual repayment mode when the person is gainfully employed. I have seen people made bankrupt by payment defaults on credit facilities of less than $10,000 which I think can be avoided. More can be done to minimize bankruptcies as it is not ideal solution for all. It stressed up a lot of people resulting in some having to lose their job due to their industrial requirement that no bankrupt is allowed as employees especially for those in the banking industry.

Financial Over Commitment

Personally, we made  the financial mistake  of committing ourselves to a private house when we returned from overseas in 2000. I was also not working then. The house that we bought was about ten percent below the prevailing market valuation. We took out a mortgage of around $350,000 payable over 25 years. Repayment was around $2000 but rose to $2,500 when interest rate spiked few years later. We also paid around $300.00 monthly interest to service a $5,000 credit card and another $11,000 for an overdraft loan. Total interest payable per month – $2,400 and per year is $30,000! How financial silly can one get?

Yet tens of thousands of Singaporeans queue up to get that bank loan or credit card. We can actually retire comfortably on the interest payable every year. The morale of the story here is to spend within one’s means and if necessary take a loan that will not be too huge for one to repay. Some may not feel the pinch as many people fork it out from their CPF account but when you sell your house, the interest payable for your loan amount will be either deducted from your cash deposit on the house or your CPF savings.

This actually happened to us as we sold off our private home the same price that we bought it – $660,000 but due to the interest incurred for 5 years on our mortgage loan, our cash deposit of around $140,000, that we paid upfront, was reduced to zero.

When people buy a house, they only want to know whether the loan is approved and how much they have to pay every month. Nothing is enquired on whether there is any pre matured termination charge of the loan when they seek refinancing or when they sell their house. The amount can be a few thousand dollars and if the bank can absorb it you can save the sum for rainy days.

Spending Beyond Our Means

When we started out after coming back from abroad, on the safe side, we decided to set aside about $40,000 in our CPF ordinary account in case the worse scenario happened. The worse scenario did happened and after about 3 ½ years, my CPF was all gone after deduction for the house mortgage loan and the situation was not helped by my low income immediately after 20 months of unemployment. It was fortunate that I have some shares in my CPF Investment account and I have to sell them at a loss to buy the mortgage loan.

I believe that we will be financially better off if we have sticked to a more conservative housing from the HDB resale market. Besides having to pay a sizeable repayment amount monthly to the bank, we also need to pay maintenance of $600 per quarter on top of the annual property tax. It was a big financial mistake on my part and I learned a valuable lesson not to be overly confident about the employment market and my own employability competence.

Later, to add on to a very dicey situation, we also received a letter from the bank’s lawyer after two months of repayment default during one very difficult period. I was also rocked by my ATM bank balance showing a miserly figure of only $20.00. How low can you get?

Pleasant Experience With Banker

I decided to initiate a meeting with the bank to find out more on what can be done to minimize the damage. It will be very messy for all if there was a foreclosure on the house. There is not only the possible hefty loss in a very weak property market but also the effect of shame and loss of esteem for my family.

The lawyer that we met was very understanding and we worked out a repayment scheme for a limited period whereby we only need to pay the loan interest less the principal. It was only then that I realized that for every $2,500 that we paid monthly to the bank, only less than $500 was used to pay off the loan principal! After paying for five years, our loan principal of $350,000 was only reduced by only $30,000 to $320,000. The rest of the money went to pay off the hefty interest! We would have have paid close to $700,000 in total after 25 years on a loan of $350,000. How foolish and financially imprudent can one get?

The bank was at least understanding to our predicament and to this day I am thankful for their endeavour to help us during that dark period. They never remove their umbrella during those rainy days as rumoured by many who had very bad run-in with their bankers. So if the bank’s lawyer letter came, don’t avoid them – seek them out and try to work out a solution. It may even save your home from eventual foreclosure. The limited soft payment period may provide you precious time to tide through those difficult period. So never run away from the banker.

We have since sold off the apartment at exactly the same price that we bought it five years ago. Nevertheless, due to the bank interest, technically we lost close to $150,000 for the apartment. We took it well as it was like a rental that we have to pay for five years of residence there. We have since bought a resale HDB maisonnette fully paid for by our CPF funds without taking a loan from the bank. Five years of nightmarish repayment fattening the bank’s after-tax profits have make us realized that it was financially imprudent to go through the same mistake again.

The lesson to learn here is not to avoid the banker especially if the lawyer’s letter is issued. Face up to the bank’s lawyer and if possible go prepared with a repayment plan that you feel confident that you can work on for a limited period. Banks are not so merciless as alleged and they are equally fearful that the customer will declare bankrupt and they will not get back the full loan anymore. If feasible, they will also want to help the client tide through a difficult period. The umbrella is there only if we want to reach out for it.

Low debts The Solution

Also, learn to keep our debts as low as possible. Too many people are living in too much debts now – they took loans for housing, car, education, holiday, etc that once we are out of work, our debts will collapse on us. Since that very bad experience with our private apartment’s mortgage loan, we have not taken any huge loan yet and prefer to pay off our purchases with cash in our account. Our recent HDB resale flat was also fully paid up with our CPF savings incurring zero debt which we are very proud. This is the first time that we purchase our property without taking out any loan from the bank.

Thus,  the decision to  choose bankruptcy is frankly a very personal one. Some may decide to go this way as there is no other alternatives. Others will try to avoid it like the plague and fight it. Whichever way you choose to settle your financial debts,  bear in mind the consequences and then move on.  Never look back and regret what you have decide. Life is too short for regrets.

Living simply and within our means should also be our motto from now on.

The ordinary person takes everything as a blessing or a curse. A warrior takes everything as a challenge. Carlos Casteneda

This article first appeared here in Aug 09 and updated on 28 Apr 10.

Written by: Gilbert Goh

Have difficulty sleeping lately or waking up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleeping again? Have no fear, apparently, many people who are in transition  have this sleeping problem phenomenon. The turmoil of not working and financial worries seem to create emotional havoc in one’s life.

Though sleeplessness is often associated  with unemployment, one should not let it turned into a chronic medical problem.

Andrew, a client here,  told me that when he knew he would be laid off in a month’s time, he couldn’t sleep well and would wake up often in the middle of the night sometimes in cold sweat and his mind full of worries.

Peter, another recently retrenched PMET in his 40s, also told me that he could not sleep well after been  laid off. Having no problem sleeping properly when he was gamefully employed, he could easily nail his sleeping problem  to his jobless situation. With a mind full of anxiety and worries, it is not difficult to envisage that unemployment is the root cause of many of our sleeping problem.

Personally, I   battled with sleeplessness when I was facing prolonged unemployment from 2001-2002. Saddled with massive debts because of defaulted mortgage repayment, I often brought my problem to bed with me. My mind was filled with worry and it took me almost an hour of twisting and turning before I could sleep.

I would then wake up in the middle of the night and refused to get back to sleep again even though I wished to because of the anxity and issues that plagued my mind.  Sleeplessness compounded the jobless problem further as we all need energy to face up to the daily challenges of applying for work and going for interview.

The sleeping problem is often further amplified when one has little financial back up plan  after been laid off.  When banks start to call us to pay up our credit card bills and mortgage payment, that is the period when the sleepless problem may turn chronic.

As the body needs rest and a good night’s sleep to rejuvenate, our body system breaks down when the insomnia grows and can become a serious health issue. That is probably  why jobless executives have low immunity during that period  and fall sick easily. 

I have listed seven ways to overcome that awful  sleeplessness problem during joblessness. Some of them were tested by me and hopefully readers will find some pointers here to try and have a good night’s rest even though everything around us is crumpling.

1. Allocate a fixed time for worrying and problem solving

Lets face it, we all are human and our mind is wired to try our best to   resolve those issues that affect  our life.  However,  too much preoccupation with solving problems can turn into worry which is a negative emotion.

I  allocate special time to “worry” about my problem and often it is during lunch time. I would eat and try to work out the issues that trouble me. I often feel that my mind works best during the time that I eat.

When I allocate special time to deal with my daily problems, I feel much better as it gives me confidence that I have taken efforts to tackle them. Though the problem may still be unresolved eventually, making time to tackle it mentally make me feel assured and confident. This worsk better for men who tend to be a problem solver in their DNA.  Man generally likes to tackle issues and work out solutions. Women however like to talk to their friends about issues that affect them. By talking it out, they feel better and could sleep easier after that.

So, allocate a special time of the day to tackle your problem for men. For women, it will be best that you  solve your problem by talking it out with someone. Remember that the problem will still be there but  going over it conscientiouslyon a regular basis give one confidence to move on and fight for another day.

2.  Exercise to feel good

I exercise alot  during my unemployment period and this wore me out and prepared my body for a good night’s sleep. When one exercises, the body moves and sweats often enabling the person to feel more relaxed and comfortable. Exercising also releases feel-good endorphins allowing one to feel confident and positive  during a difficult situation.

I tried to jog at least 5km daily whenever possible so that I have enough feel-good elements inside  to help me battle on for another day.

Often after an hour of jogging and stretching in the evening, I would sleep soundly for the night. It became so addictive that I began to jog almost daily. I  became so fit that I later attempted to run marathons which I did tfor he past few years. The jogging habit carried on even till this present day. When I am abroad, the first thing I did is to recee for jogging route so that I will not get lost in a foreign place!

I can safely attribute the  jogging routine as my main remedy to  my sleepless problem.  So,  do try out   this well-tested exercise method to cure that sleepless problem.

If you have not try out any  proper exercise routine before, do consult a doctor before you pick up  any exercise  activity. Some people may be found unsuitable for rigorous regular exercise due to inherent medical reason.

3. Have a hot warm bath

 I did tried this hot warm bath remedy and it proved to be workable!

Before I used the exercise cure for my sleeplessness, I would try the  hot warm bath routine before I slept. The warm water running down my ached body often brought alot of relief to the body system. It is no wonder that some people soak in a hot tub for an hour or two due to the pure soothing effect it can  bring to the body senses. It is that theraupatic!

As I bathed,  I also tried to visualise my problems running down from the top of my head down to the water hole. It is as if all my problems were washed away when I took that long bath.

So if you have difficulty sleeping lately, tried this simple yet workable solution.

Remember that you need to bathe in warm water as it opens up the pores and somehow this will soothe the body system. The same effect might not be there  if you bathe yourself in cold running water.

4. Drink a glass of warm milk

I also tried this method of drinking a glass of warm milk before I slept. It worked moderately for me as milk is not my best fluid.

 I would warm up a glass of milk and downed it before I go to bed.  It would work at times and I later discarded this method altogether when my jogging routine became a almost cure-all for my insomnia problem.

For some readers, this may prove to be the  cure all for your sleepless problem. What works for some may not work for others I guess.

5. Reading

Many people have tried to read before sleeping  hoping that it will wear them out making them susceptible to sleep.

Again, this may work for some and not for others. I tried this method and it does not really make me feel sleepy. On the contrary, after reading, I would be more alert as my mind was stimulated by what I have read.

However, my wife told me that this is the best cure for her if she has problem sleeping. She would simply pick up a book and then fall asleep with the book on the bed.

I guess if you are reading a really boring book it could be the best remedy for a sleepless night!

6. Cut down on caffein

I didn’t know Singaporeans are so addicted to coffee until I saw the  many Starbucks and Coffee Clubs sprouting up all over our small island. You could sometimes point out  the  sheer number of coffee stalls along the same stretch of road.

At Siglap alone, there are at least ten coffee providers with a vast variety of caffein for selection. You can have latte, Mocha, flat white, cappucino, mochacino,  ice mocha, tea, ice tea, etc.

I used to drink at least three cups of coffee daily and this have proved to affect my sleep at night severely.

 I would toss and turn for an hour, slept for another three hours and woke up at 3am and could not sleep again till 4am. Over a prolonged period of time, such interrupted sleep has made me agitated and tired.

I also need to take an afternoon nap to recuperate for my lack of sleep and this perpetuated the problem as the cat nap also affected my sleep at night.

Too much caffein  affects the stimulus system making it more sensitive and alert. However, as it is artifically stimulated, it may also affect the body system as well.  We all get agitated when our system is over stimulated by artificial flavours.

I have now reduce my cuppas to not more than twice a day so that it will not affect my sleeping pattern at night. So far, my sleep improves alot after that caffein reduction.

7. Medication

If your sleepless pattern persists for a prolonged period despite trying out various methods to cure your sleepless problem, do seek out medical advice as it may mean that your sleeplessness has turned into a chronic medical issue now. Having a disturbed sleep pattern for a prolonged period not only make the person feel frustrated but  left him with little energy to focus on the challenge ahead.

We all know that to do a proper job search on a daily basis, we need  energy and a full focus. Without a good night’s sleep for a prolonged period, one could not really do a proper job search without easily  feeling tired.

Most doctors may prescribe a mild sleeping pill for the person to have a good night of uninterrupted sleep.

Though some of us may dislike taking medication for a sleeping problem, it may be the best  solution and a quick cure. There is of course the usual fear that one may get addicted to sleeping pill and I will leave this to your doctor to advise you further.

Do consult your doctor on  the best prescription for your sleepless problem or alternately seek support from a counsellor or close friend.  Talking to someone does help as  we all need to ventilate out what that is troubling us.

I hope that I have given you some tips to ease off that sleepless problem  associated with joblessness. Remember that you also need the rest to help you stay on top of your situation.

 Job hunting is also a stressful and strenuous activity that demands alot of energy.  If one could not rest enough, the body shuts down and this will seriously hamper our zeal to  look for another job.

 We may be our  best judge on how long we can go on with interrupted sleep before we decide to seek out medical help. Do not let your sleeplessness goes  untreated  for too long until  it becomes a serious medical problem.

Motivational quote: When you adopt a healthy lifestyle it begins to add up in a powerfully positive way – Dr Phil McGraw

Click here for related post: Get enough sleep (Today)

Saturday April 24, 2010

New migrants are hungrier

INSIGHT DOWN SOUTH
By SEAH CHIANG NEE

Lee Kuan Yew’s assertion that today’s Singaporean has turned soft has not gone down well with some quarters, but the reality is successive generations of migrants lose some of their forefathers’ pioneering spirit.

ARE Singaporeans – third-generation migrants who helped to turn a rundown town into a global city – losing their steam?

The answer is yes, according to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, and quite a few employers share his view that it was good to have brought in foreign workers to fill the decline.

“Over time, Singaporeans had become less hard-driving and hard-striving,” Lee said in a recent interview

The hard-talking Lee then upset many people when he said that if Singaporeans were falling behind because “the spurs are not stuck into the hide”, that was their problem.

He described the new immigrants from China and the region as “hungry” – helped by parents who “pushed the children very hard”. (Actually, Singaporean parents are often accused of putting too much pressure on their kids.)

Predictably, some Singaporeans were angry with the remarks that implied they were becoming lazy and ought to be spurred like slow horses.

His words were inimitable Lee, and his sentiments were shared by employers and some older Singaporeans who truly feel that the youth today have less drive.

One retiree said Lee was partly right. “Many middle class Singaporeans are becoming spoiled and complacent compared with (their counterparts in) some emerging nations.”

Particularly poor is the attitude of service workers, with only one in five willing to go that extra mile to keep customers satisfied.

Lee’s view, however, does not represent the average Singaporean, who is often told his diligence ranks highly in the world.

That portion of Lee’s unpopular remarks was diplomatically omitted in a Channel News Asia broadcast, but the quotes were widely posted online.

It prompted an unprecedented demand from a 15-year-old schoolboy for Lee to proffer an apology to Singaporeans.

One forum writer said: “Lee’s wrong. Singaporeans work and work like a busy bee – work for wife and children, work to pay loans, bills, and if they have a little money left, they will save for a rainy day.”

Some of the world institutions dealing with workers have released studies that contrasted with Lee’s judgment of his own people.

Since 1980, Washington-based risk consultancy agency BERI has rated Singapore’s workforce as the world’s best – long before the bulk of foreign workers arrived.

Its latest ranking places Singapore’s workforce as the seventh most motivated in the world and second in Asia.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) said that despite the recent recession, Singa­pore workers clocked up more hours than people of any other country, except Iceland.

They worked longer hours than the Japanese (4th) and Korean (5th) – both renowned for their workaholic ethics.

One lecturer said it was not useful to compare the new poorer immigrants, hungry to earn Singapore dollars, with Singapore’s better-educated young Singaporeans.

“New economic migrants who move to a wealthy country will always strive harder than the locals,” said a lecturer. “It is natural because they want to build a future for their families.”

It would have gone against historical trends for the better-educated, affluent hosts to out-work the new arrivals, he said.

He is right. Singaporeans are third-generation migrants who have prospered while the new arrivals are struggling first-generation immigrants with many mouths to feed back home.

Most of Singapore’s modern migrants who came in the 40s and 50s were probably as enterprising and hardworking as today’s newcomers.

At the time they had no more than the shirt on their back, hope in their heart and a dream in their eyes.

They desperately wanted to build a better life. Over decades of hard work and sacrifices, Singapore’s first-wave migrants have become prosperous and helped give a good education to their children.

This is The Singapore Story.

The present lot is the third generation of the early pioneers and has progressed and opted for a more relaxed lifestyle.

It is in the nature of things that each successive generation of migrants lose some of their forefathers’ pioneering strive and spirit. Singa­pore is no exception.

Given time, this cycle will be repeated in Singapore when today’s newcomers – or their offspring – become prosperous and become contented and less striving.

By then these affluent and well-educated immigrants – whether from China or India – would have become as picky as our present generation of youths when it comes to “dirty” or “heavy” jobs.

I have read that even in China, some youths in the cities are becoming laidback as their parents become rich.

One analyst wrote that the new immigrants are like previous groups who came and worked hard.

“In future, their descendants will be like our present younger generation and tend to relax and take things easy. So in future, are we going to import more foreigners to spur their hide to make them work harder?” he asked.

“If so, that would ensure that nationhood will never take place.”

Some who agree with Lee blame it on the environment he created.

“I have met Singaporeans or ex-Singaporeans who have flourished in other countries.”

Surfer Normal Guy said Lee’s comments would not make him give up.

“My friends around me are not giving up, either. We will work real hard to grow, protect our nests and always try to stay ahead of whatever will happen in the next five years.”