When you break something that isn’t yours, you fess up to the person who owned the item. You offer to repay the person for it. That’s personal responsibility, to just about everyone.

                You work, you pay your way, you rely on no one for help. That’s personal responsibility, too. The question today is, what if something happens so that you can’t work? Perhaps you become disabled. Perhaps you lose a job you had for years, because your employer decided he didn’t need you anymore. You look for work that fits your qualifications.  You can’t find it in a short time. What do you do, if you want to be personally responsible?

             Some would argue that looking and waiting wastes time. You should take a job that pays something, no matter what your qualifications. Despite your advanced education, it should not be beneath you to flip burgers or wash dishes for a couple bucks an hour. But the time you waste working for menial wages, just to be “personally responsible,” is time you could be looking for something better. Sure, you can flip burgers or wash dishes at night and look for better work during the day. Then, when do you sleep?

               To add insult to injury, the burger-joint manager may not hire you because he knows you’ll move on once you get something better. And, he’s right. He’s more interested in finding a long-term burger flipper so he doesn’t have to keep filling that same job over and over. Perhaps the same person who thinks it should not be beneath you to flip burgers is the same person who won’t hire you if you apply, because you are overqualified.

OUT OF WORK A WHILE? WE DON’T WANT YOU!

               The latest trend: long-term unemployed need not apply. So not only are you overqualified to flip burgers, you’ve been out of work a few months – or longer. That gives burger-joint manager has another reason to tell you NO! And, that manager goes home at night complaining about taxes and deficits that have occurred because, in his mind, people like you are not “personally responsible.” You are always looking for a government handout, in his mind.

               Here’s another rationalization: if we keep extending unemployment benefits, people will figure out that they’ll collect just about what they would take home from a job, and not have to work for it. It’s welfare, or government overspending, by another name.

               In reality, very few people would trade a job for an unemployment check. Sure, you’ll find some who are comfortable with their feet up constantly, but most people WANT to work. The trouble is, many of the jobs they do best have gone away because of technology or other methods of productivity increases. THESE ADVANCES ARE NOT BAD THINGS!

             If you are out of work and struggling to find a job suited to your qualifications, you are not alone. You have many things stacked against you. Despite what you might hear about people like you, you are NOT personally irresponsible. You are NOT happy sitting home, collecting a check. You WANT to work! The fact that there are too few jobs is NOT your fault! No klnd of work is beneath you, but doing jobs for which you are overqualified – assuming someone will hire you – can be counterproductive.

            Here’s the good news! There are many ways out there to make money – even lots of money – regardless of your qualifications, your background, your demographics, your station in life.  All anyone has to do is to look for them. When they find them, they have to think a bit outside their comfort zones to determine whether the situation is right for them. Sure, there will be scams. Sure, there will be operations that promise more than they can deliver, and take scarce money out of your pocket.  For a great opportunity that has a proven track record and has been thoroughly vetted, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau.

             If you need cash immediately, and the burger joint will hire you, grab the job if it works for you. At the same time, find one of the great opportunities out there available to everyone, spend a few hours a week working on that.  Robert Kiyosaki, author of the “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” series, says these opportunities are the future of commerce. Yes, they are open to anyone and everyone who wants to work them – even the disabled.  Heck, even if you are able to find a job in your field, you may not want to risk getting laid off again. These opportunities can eradicate unemployment, WITHOUT government. But you have to be willing to pursue them. 

           You have nothing to lose by checking out the above link. See whether it is right for you. If it’s not, say NO when you get a follow-up call. No one will harass you, or try to get you to buy something you don’t want.  If it seems as if you could do it, jump in. There will be no risk, but perhaps great reward. Never risk being called “personally irresponsible” again.

Peter