War against Coronavirus: How to deal with the layoffs

War against Coronavirus: Transitioning into a new world amid layoffs

We're transitioning! Let's make it count!!

When the Coronavirus pandemic began, no one knew how far it would go, much less how long. And if there was nothing no one really knew, it would be the devastating effects it would have not just on human life but on our emotions, our psychology and our finances. One might ask, "Is there really anything worse than death?" And I'd respond without any form of hesitation, "Yes, there is. It's living with the feeling that there is nothing worth living for anymore."

"The consensus of 57 economists surveyed this month by The Wall Street Journal is that 14.4 million jobs will be lost in the coming months, and the unemployment rate will rise to a record 13% in June, from a 50-year low of 3.5% in February."

The 2AM uncertainty that creeps into your mind and keeps you awake wondering if you might be part of the 50% of the world's workers that would most likely be laid off is enough to keep you feeling anything but happy. On the other hand, you might not be a part of the workforce, it might be your parents or your older or younger siblings. Or you might be a business owner and for the past few months, business may have been anything but good.

Certainly not everyone feels this way.

"For some people, a layoff could be a welcome relief from a difficult job situation or looked at as potential for moving on in their life. But for others a job loss can have a significant emotional impact."    - Stanford University 

"We are not all in the same boat, but we can weather this storm together."

Psychologists have advised that we look at this time as a transitioning point. Robert Leahy points out two priorities: Look for a new job, and more importantly, take care of yourself.

But I'd say, "Create something," "Look in the pandora box!" Of course it's important to look for a job if that's what you want and more importantly, to take care of yourself. But even he suggests that job hunting shouldn't take more than one hour in a day. For the rest of the day, while you are taking care of yourself, think about a new idea, think about a new product, a new business idea, an idea that could help others after the lockdown, a new way to do something. 

There are so many posts on how to cope emotionally and psychologically, but this isn't one of them.

But I want to show you something else, something that might help you. 

Before we proceed, it might help you to know that according to CNBC, US billionaires have boosted their wealth by $406 billion as markets rebound. Should they be hated? No! Should they be envied? Not at all! Then what? Have you heard this statement "Good artists borrow. Great artists steal!" What this statement means is that when you get an idea, if you replicate it, you're just as good as the person you got it from, but if you make it your own, by dismembering it and then reassemble it with your own parts, you make it new, different, unique. Then you are a great artist.

There are two things I can't seem to be able to get out of my mind nowadays, it's the Green world and the Singularity. And I know you can start here. You see, the ideal is that when you lose a job, you look for another. It's a good one, but it might not be the best option. The world is transitioning into a state where human effort would rarely be needed, save their minds. Your mind in this period is your greatest weapon. People are not aware that there are so many opportunities in the Green world, because there are very few people there. I'm not saying you should look for a job here, and I'm not saying you shouldn't. What I'm saying is that after this lockdown is over, there's going to be a new set of rules, a new way of living. Now, you can either join the spectators or become a participant yourself. You can either hear the buzz or be the buzz.

What to do?

Look for an area that's lacking in creativity 

Search for problems that may have been caused by the coronavirus or otherwise

Think of an idea or better still, make an idea better

Develop a plan, not a business plan. Just something to keep you on track 

Boost your skills to align with what you plan to do

Then start 

And then finish

It's ok to be unhappy, but it's not ok to just sit still. 

Like I promised in my last post,

Join me again next week in my new series "How to create a sustainable world with technology and more."

Writer: 

Bibitayo Omidiora