grow older better

Tag: self employment

  • But I Don’t Know What To Do Or How To Do It!

    When I talk to groups of people about being self-employed, it seems the older people in the audience may be a bit more afraid than younger folks about being self-employed.

     

    It isn’t just older folks who can’t find jobs but we older ones have had many more years of being in someone else’s employ and may not have any real idea of what we can do or how we can do it.

     

    Or we think we don’t know what to do or how to do it.

    Or we may just be plain old scared!

     

    We need to step out of our comfort zones and change our emotional attachment to jobs! 

     

    Think about it – you are out of a job because your job had NO emotional attachment to you!

     

    I won’t go into a rant about businesses, outsourcing and greed here [I have another blog for that]  but we have learned that if you are an employee, you can be let go at the drop of the proverbial hat. 

     

    We used to think that if we found a good job and worked hard, we would be taken care of for life. We’d have that job til we were 65, then we’d have a pension, continued health care coverage and also Social Security benefits.

     

    This is no longer the case. Jobs have been lost, pensions gobbled up in the Wall Street mess and Social Security stuck in the mud.

     

    If you weigh the scary scenarios – you might begin to think that trying your hand at being self-employed is not as scary as depending on a job or the government.

     

    Yes. It can be scary! But it can also be freeing.

     

    Imagine:

    • making money from what you already know how to do.
    • making money from a hobby you have loved for years
    • getting up each day and seeing your income making activity as  fun
    • letting your creativity having free rein

     

    Then imagine how your emotional self will feel when you earn that first real bit of money!  Your self-esteem will sky rocket!!

    You don't know what to do?  Here's a suggestion:

    Start right now and make a list of all the things you are good at.

     

    Just let your brain run free and if you get stuck, ask your friends and family what they see you as good and great at doing.

     

    And stay tuned for what to do with your list.

  • Older and Unemployed? Try Working For YOU!

    From everything I hear, there might be a small increase in Social Security for 2012 – BUT – any increase is likely to be offset by an increase in the cost of Medicare. So it seems we will be into year 3 of no actual increase in the monthly income.

    The economy is improving slightly but I'll bet older people are not the ones that will be getting hired or getting the "good" jobs.

    Older people with experience are seen as requiring higher pay levels.  It's better for the bottom line to hire young people for lower pay.

    Then there is the office mentality [shh – it's a well kept secret] of not hiring people smarter or more capable than you because they might "get" your job. 

    People who are not seen as threats are safer hires.

    In short: The job market isn't going to look too good for older workers for a long while – if ever. And if you rely on Social Security – it's not going to increase.

    I therefore put this question out there for you:

    If you want to increase your income [and most do] why not be your own boss?

    Stop job hunting!

    For most, job hunting is a debilitating experience. You apply for many jobs and do not even get a courtesy reply of "sorry." You don't even get an acknowledgement that your resume has been received. In fact, you never hear anything from the places you apply to.

    And if you do manage to get a live interview, you may still never hear from them again. Interviews are done for many reasons, and, in my opinion, not all of them ethical reasons.

    What can you do to earn money?

    • Become your own boss!
    • Become an entrepreneur!
    • Do what you always wanted to do!
    • Turn your long time dreams into reality!

    There is much to say about being self employed or an entrepreneur that I'll post on the topic over the next few weeks.

    Stay tuned in

     

    Comments?  Questions?