DOLLARS AND SENSE

Common sense answers to questions on personal finance

by Joe Plemon 

Q: Joe, I lost my job a few months back and I have still not found work.  My unemployment compensation is about to expire and I am feeling more and more like a failure.  I worry a lot and am having trouble sleeping.   Can you tell me anything that will help? 

A:  It seems that your job loss has created a negative spiral: the longer you are unemployed, the more your self esteem suffers, which causes you to become less employable.  To deal with this dilemma, career coach Dan Miller recommends that, while seeking employment, you also make deposits in other areas of your life.  As you cultivate the following habits, your self confidence will grow and you just might find doors of opportunity that you had never before considered. 

·         Take care of your body by exercising..  Work out.  Walk.  Jog.  Exercise will not only clear your mind, it will also relieve your stress.   

·         Feed your mind by reading.  Learn. Turn off the TV.  Join a book club.  Start with Dan Miller’s book, “48 Days to the Work You Love”. Make reading a lifetime habit.

·         Improve your emotions by volunteering.  However bad your situation may seem, there are others who are worse off.  Helping others through their problems will force you to not dwell on your own. 

·         Buoy your spirit by worshiping.   There is a God in this world and He is a God of hope.  When your look upward, you will start to see the Big Plan and realize that you are a part of it.   

Hall of Fame baseball player Reggie Jackson hit over 500 home runs in his career but he struck out over 2500 times.   One could say that he failed 2500 times, but he certainly wasn’t a failure because he kept swinging.  You are not a failure.  Keep swinging and you will find yourself hitting home runs again.  

Joe Plemon is a Certified Financial Counselor.  Email your questions on personal finance to Joe at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or www.plemoncoaching.com.