Make underemployment work for you!
Job loss deals a devastating blow, but underemployment is rough too. Taking a cut in status, pay, or hours is just a slower version of the same death of your sense of self-worth and your financial viability. Economists call it underemployment, and it's not as severe a problem as unemployment, but it's bad. Nobody can put a number on exactly how bad, but it's not good.
If you are underemployed, you should try to take a positive attitude about it. It may be a cliche to say that "in crisis there is opportunity," but if ever there were a case of a cliche being true, this is it. The fact that you're not working as many hours frees you up to do other things that can eventually bring you income if you approach them from the standpoint of business.
The first step to succeeding at this is to ask yourself, "What do I really want to do?" Most people could get what they want if only they could bring it into focus. You need to be specific, here. Don't say, "I want a million dollars." Everybody wants money. Make a focused list of specific things that you want out of life. Narrow it down to your interests and hobbies. Your list might look like this:
I want...:
* ... to paint.
* ... to spend more time with my family
* ... to travel
* ... to make x dollars per month (this is good because it sets a real goal -- keep it real!)
* ... to have more time to myself
And so on. When your list is complete, you can begin to take action to make it a reality. You'll be surprised to find that your hobbies can actually make you a little money. One of my hobbies is writing. I'm doing it right this instant. If it establishes me as an expert, it might even help me to make a little loot. Do you see how that might work?
Taking action is important too. Do the things that you want to do now that you're underemployed and have the time to do them. If "watch more TV" is on your list, set aside an extra hour (but no more!) a day to do that, then do it. If both television and writing occupy places on your list, you might consider using that hour to take notes on your favorite show so that you can write a teleplay for that show. You'll find a lot of opportunities to kill two birds with one stone once your list comes into focus.
This is your life, nobody else's. These are your dreams. Never let anyone else place dreams in your head or you might end up buying a bunch of crazy get-rich-quick schemes (like I did). Follow your own passion. Do your own thing, and make underemployment (or unemployment) a blessing to you.
Best of luck to you!
Questions and Answers
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