The hardest part getting laid off is the knowledge that it was not due to a decline in the company’s earnings. The company I worked for is the largest in the world at what it does.  The largest company of its type in the world had less than 2% of layoff in 2008 so it must really own something more infinitely valuable than goods for sale to country’s backbone corporations like the government, banks, and financial institutions.  This is precisely the burr that pricks me each day.  All that money and I’m the only person in my entire division that was laid off. It begs the question why.

Upon heavy consideration of this question that plagues my nightmares I can surmise just one answer; my ex-boss’ lack of leadership and drive for self preservation.  For the purposes of this blog, I’ll refer to him as Jake.  Jake’s a salesman. It’s all he’s ever done. He used to work the phones and drive the roads, and has never managed a team.  However, Jake is wily. He stroked the right egos, ran errands and did work for the right players which parlayed into a promotion from a VP that was a new hire and wanted to befriend the chief executive of sales. The new VP is a project manager turned [perceived] expert to run the sales division whose secret goal was to usurp the chief executive sales.  Are you seeing the pieces and how they came together into one game board?  Big picture, these two inexperienced people formed an alliance in which one person, Jake the pet, has an in with the chief executive sales and the other, the VP want to be chief, can give the nod and the pet earns a mid-six figure income and feeds the want to be chief the information she needs to annihilate the sitting chief.

So begins Jakes final game of getting away from questioning eyes.  First move, lay off the only other person with a proven track record of success and has a strong rapport with other corporate players – that person is me.  Next move, break up the team and reassign experienced ‘doers’ to another, more qualified and just as power hungry, mid-level executive under the guise that the added personnel will better serve the other department. Next move, keep the staff that are great at working on singular tasks, don’t ask questions and happy to punch a clock. Final move, get as far away from experienced executives and other would-be potential problems. Jake managed to negotiate that he work from home, in another state, away from his team.  All made possible by the alliance made with the project manager turned VP, excuse me, correction she’s now chief.

Meanwhile, all got raises and I’ve lost everything. My home, my confidence and most of all my marketability to get another job. I never cared about this politicking even though I saw what was happening.  All I ever wanted was to keep my job no matter the tasks or title which I made very clear to Jake.  I even helped Jake in the hopes of securing my own job. Shame on me.

There are just no jobs out there and with the unemployment rate still climbing – 13% in my state – getting closer to unemployment rate of the Great Depression my hopes dwindle each day. Still, I must stay motivated and not dwell on how much I despise Jake. My dream is that what goes around comes around and Jake loses his job. Does this really ever happen?

There truly are angel businesses, angel investors and angel helpers that can help you develop your ‘one thing for success’ and launch it.  This article proves that it’s all about being ingenious,
hard working and not afraid to try something new.

Make ‘No Fear, No Rules’ your motto and get motivated to finding your one thing for success.

She baked her way out of foreclosure – TODAY Home & Garden

First off let me say “I Hate Being Laid Off!!!”    I had to get that out of the way. I was laid off in January 2009 and absolutely everything has been practically destroyed. No more home, stellar credit destroyed and no savings – those are just the top of the list of ‘things’ lost. Most of all, my self-esteem at
not being able to provide for my family is practically killing me.

I’ve been in the Internet marketing business for almost 5 years.  The bad economy was the reason I was laid off, companies have severely cut-back on spending for websites and advertising.  I figured this was the same for every area of internet marketing but I was very wrong.  I heard about “Ground Up Affiliate Marketing” found out that affiliate marketing is paying out money despite
the poor economy.  Click to read what Jupiter Research and other industry and economy experts have discovered. This is it!  Learning affiliate marketing is my way out of depression and
a way into making money online.

Hello, my name is Eric Markinson and if you’re not a regular subscriber and haven’t heard about Seagate’s affiliate marketing product test, let me quickly fill you in… and then I’ll reveal the conclusive proof that a unique program called Ground Up Affiliate Marketing is by far the most effective Affiliate Marketing Training Guide written this year.

Firstly, The Common Problem…

It’s a well known fact that you must be extremely cautious when wanting to make extra money on the side using the Internet.  There are so many scams out there and you have to do your homework. All too often you end up getting burned.

Personally, I went through the same thing during the first part of 2006 when I spent months desperately trying to find the right program to sell online without doing a lot of extra work.I wanted to figure out how I could make money on the side using the internet while I had a full-time job.  That way I could build it up to a full-time thing.   It’s the usual American dream… make money while doing practically nothing, surfing on at the beach while money is pouring into your bank account…

Anyway, and to cut a long story short, I did eventually find an effective program that allowed me to make some very nice cash, but when the economy and the markets started to crash, my extra income virtually went to zero. That’s where “Ground Up Affiliate Marketing” came in. I read an article about Lesley Morgan’s new program, “Ground Up Affiliate Marketing“, and realized this is exactly what I was needing and looking for. I needed a way to learn affiliate marketing, how to find products, use free tools and website platforms to build and promote affiliate products effectively.

So What All Did Ground Up Affiliate Marketing Provide?

Well firstly, I was impressed with how Lesley created a short, step-by-step guide complete with pictures and examples. The guide took you from start to finish from how to best use this course to finding high converting products from reputable affiliate networks to using free tools to build and market your businesses and more. In fact here is a list of some of the highlights. 

• 100+ pages of education and tools
• Which affiliate programs to join
• How to discover profitable niches
• How to select products
• WordPress
• Using WordPress website templates
• Which tools to use
• Copywriting techniques
• Effective advertising
• Using social networking sites to your advantage

Jobless rate rises to 26-year high – Stocks & economy- msnbc.com

I came across this article about a woman earning money online by affiliate marketing.  The article explains that she learned affiliate marketing from a program called “Commission Blueprint”.  Even I made half of what she’s claiming the product will be well worth the price.

If anyone has any feedback on this I’d really appreciate it.  I’m considering investing in this as perhaps a new future since I haven’t found a job yet.

Article:  http://layoffrecovery.com/earn-money-working-online

Short selling has been a roller coaster.  I’m convinced the banks move slowly not just because they are busy, but because they are pushing to see how far till you break and if money will appear from some unknown person to rescue you.  Why is this so difficult? There are people with two incomes far above the average that are shedding their investment homes faster than you can blink.  I have no income, or any other money to speak of, and have a cash buyer for my house and the principal bank continuously sends back duplicate requests and new forms – with the same old questions.

I am anxious to move on with my life and break away from what feels like a living nightmare.  The reality is – where am I going?

So, now in my prayers I am grateful there is a roof over my head for the time being. I look forward to the day that the sales does close and I can shed the heartache and hopefully find the motivation I used to have in abundance.

The toughest decision by far has been to bolster myself to go on.  To wake up each day and continue to put myself out there and find a job.  To brush aside my aching heart, smile and focus on the priority of straightening things out so my future isn’t totally shot.  Amidst all of this, I force myself to try let go of my anger towards my ex-boss who laid me off as part of a political move and taking advantage of the down-turn economy.  It was the only way she could convice the executives to let me go without being open to a lawsuit.

Because of her, my entire present AND future are destroyed.  My wish, other than winning the lotto, is that she is visited with the same breakdown on her way of life.  I believe in the fates and what goes around comes around and this certainly will be an occassion I hope to hear about. 

It may be bitter but regrettably my poor attitude is the truth.

I was laid off last year and it has cost me almost everything.  My husband and I have been married for 14 years and have 3 children ages 12, 10 and 3.  Due to my layoff there is not enough income to support ourselves and are in the process of foreclosing on our home and debt consolidation program.  Like the thousands of other people, we have severely cut-back and will move to a a rental apartment and change the kids school.

The stress of my unemployment on our marriage is the same as everyone else who was laid off.  My self-esteem is in the toilet, can’t seem to communicate with anyone rationally and I’m having vivid nightmares.  My husband Craig has no idea what else to do to help me and is walking on egg shells careful not to set me off. The first four months after being laid off were the worst emotionally for me.  Now, I’m numb to the feelings of grief and loss but I still cannot have a real conversation with my friends and my nightmares are getting more and more horrific.  My nightmares have gotten so bad that I’m waking up to bloody arms and legs because I’ve picked my skin off like in my nightmares.  It doesn’t take a doctor to see that I am still struggling tremendously with being laid off.  I feel as if I was targeted and attacked by some invisible monster that has come in and ripped out my heart and destroyed my home and family.  The monster is destroying over 20 years of the life I dreamt of having since I was a little girl playing with my doll house. 

After the second one of these bloody nightmares, my husband was really worried and scared.  Craig woke up with me that second night pleading with me to tell him how to make this stop.  As he bandaged the scratches and wounds he began to cry.  I haven’t ever seen Craig cry from sadness. He was more than worried, he was lost.  Craig couldn’t fix me and so desperately wanted me back to normal.  Craig held me  close, slowly rocking me and asking me to tell him what was wrong so we could fix it together.  I just couldn’t explain it because I didn’t know myself.  I felt heart-broken, didn’t know who I was or what I was doing here anymore.  How could he possibly make my loss of identity and self-worth go away?  How do I not break my husbands heart by forcing him to watch me change into this depressed woman going through each day in a blur?

As Craig and I held onto each other, I finally told him everything I was feeling.  I had to tell him.  Craig is my best friend and I had to lay it all on the table and take the chance I dreaded – that he would leave me if he realized how little I am now.  I talked and he just listened.  The more I let go, the more he held on to me giving me the strength to keep going.  My heart became unburdened and I felt as if I really breathe.  Craig silently stroked my hair, kissed me on my head and wrapped my legs and arms into his as if to protect me from the world.  I felt safe for the first time in almost a year and a once familiar feeling overcame us.  Deep stirs of emotion and passion began to run through us both, it seemed like we were one person wrapped around each other. That night we made love like we did when we first met.  I ached with missing him.  I missed my man – not just the sex but the feeling of his masculine strength.  That genetic quality all have, the reflex to protect their loved ones, the inner strength they posses to ward off threats.  Like a growl warning predators to keep away.

Since that night, my husband and I make love every day and we talk.  We talk about everything and anything.  I had forgotten who my husband is and have been reminded why I fell in love with him.  How could I have forgotten?  What kind of person am I that I enabled (as Oprah would probably say) our marriage to be dismantled and managed like a business that had to be done rather than a marriage of two people that loved each other?  The answers are that I am a fiercely independent and competitive woman and approached my job and family like ‘things’ I had to win.  Win by dragging them to the finish line if necessary.  I still don’t know what that finish line actually was.  Perhaps it’s a status or financial security.  During all this race to the finish, I managed to alienate our family from one another by choosing for them and forcing them to do what I thought was a way to winning.  Driving the kids all over town to to this class and that sporting event. Scheduling activities for my husband without even asking him.  Maintaining a jam packed color coded activity calendar with tasks I physically checked marked off. 

Not only did I lead my family into a position of a job assignment but I emasculated my husband by usurping his role in the family.  Men are genetically built to be the hunters and gathers and provide for their family and demonstrate their ability to do this.  This sounds prehistoric but what I mean is that men’s pleasure and self-worth are derived from their ability to achieve success and, grow and maintain their family.  Each individual man defines success differently, it’s not just about money.  My running of the family, removed Craig, the father and relegated him to going to work and a once a week golf game.  Craig didn’t have the opportunity to share in the love of a family like tucking the kids or kissing boo boo’s.  He didn’t even get to take the kids to golf to share in activities he loved because I was shuffling them around town.  It was all about me. 

In the me-centric world, I lost time to look after myself as a woman.  The femininity I once possessed had been switched out for comfortable mismatching clothes, the same hairstyle in 10 years and a bit of lip gloss.  I used to love dressing up and wearing necklaces and hanging earrings.  During one of our nightly conversations, Craig reminded me of all the dresses I used to wear, that I had a new hairstyle every two months and exercised everyday.  After a few glasses of wine on one our new date nights, we teased that since we didn’t have money for a haircut that Craig could trim it for me.  The trim was horrible but it was fun and harmless – just cut more off.  What’s important is that my husband realized that by pointing out what I don’t do anymore hurts my heart and only adds to our stress.  By joking about it and talking over old times he has gently reminded me of the person he wanted to ravage.  Our sex life is great and I want to be the woman that drives him crazy. I have to find ways to reduce the stress of being unemployed.

Our solution to continuing our new way of life post layoff  with very little money is that we enjoy the local area parks, beach and free activities.  We take the kids to the parks and to the beach at least 4 times a week.  We teach them how to play sports and learn what they like to do.  With the extra time I have, I create little courses for them that are filled with challenging tasks like bouncing the ball or throwing it into a bucket.  We spend a lot less time in-front of the TV or on the phone and bond as a family.  We know everything about our children’s budding personalities, likes and dislikes and can openly talk about situations at school and pressures from friends.  Now, there’s consoling, hugging, listening and two-way conversation.  Not to mention sleep. They are so worn out that there is no more fighting over eating dinner or at bedtime.  A much happier home.

Each week the kids have play-dates with family friends so Craig and I can have date night.  We always go to the beach. Sometimes we go swimming or chase each other down the beach in mock races or make-up silly games like the one with the most seashells gets a massage from the loser. We made a pact not to force anything like time or resolving collector phone calls.  In just a few weeks, our date nights evolved into real dates.  We forgot about everything and everyone else and focused on the other person, just like we all do when we date someone new.  I also think this is because now we rediscovered sex we both want to fool around and don’t want to ruin the chance.  Its working.

My husband and I are in love again!  I am so excited to be making love again and fantasizing about ways to entice him the next day.  My nightmares have gone away and I catch myself smiling again.  I have learned that the tighter I tried to hold on, the more I lost.  I learned my husband has an inner strength I never knew existed, I just needed to give it a chance to come out.  Most of all, I now know that my husband wanted to leave the closed off, frumpy, basket case, and now wants to keep our family together.  This was a two-way effort that has created a love story after being laid off.

Now, along with thousands from my company, I’m laid off, feverishly looking for a job and trying to hold on to the little self-esteem I have left.  It’s like someone just yanked the life right out of me.  My wife has been incredibly reassuring and loving.  She constantly reminds me that this was out of my control and that maybe this is an opportunity to do something new and different, to move around what’s happened to me and go onwards.  I love her even more now than the day we got married.  But, how can her love be real when the sadness I feel is the same as what is now showing in her eyes?  A sadness that was not in her before.  I catch glimpses of  depths of her grief  every now and then and it crushes my heart and makes me want to lash out in frustration on an imaginary person responsible causing this devastation. 

How can my wife not hate me?  My unemployment has irreversably changed our lives and worst of all, our childrens futures  yet she says she loves me the same.  I’m proud of her starting a new job – she’s never worked. Most of all, I’m proud and amazed by the strength that my wife has shown.  Her strength is why I go on.  Thank you to my dear wife, a true partner for life through the good and the horrible.  I’m glad I found this site and feel better for ’saying’ this out loud.  I’m going to bring her a cup of coffee in bed and make a fort for the kids.  After all, it really is about the little things isn’t it?  That’s one huge lesson I’m learning.

Good luck with your this endeavour Girl Laid Off.  I hope that this site works for you too.

Professionally, I’m embarrassed and belittled.  This was not my fault which I know.  But, there are so many people in the company that let me go that are way less experienced and they have their jobs.  The big difference was that I was not one of the people who constantly managed or massaged and held on to my belief that if you’re paid to do a job then you should be able to do it.

Yes I’m totally scared out of my mind and have to suck it up now every day, but at least I have hope that I may make more of my life than a babysitter for a kiss ass.  It may be my pride talking, but I’d rather believe that my life will be better and even as I lose material things, I’m hanging on to my knowing that I wasn’t a sell out.

Phew.. that feels better getting this out there.  Thanks!