The feedback and implications are everywhere. Most people are struggling to make ends meet, times are indeed hard for many people and even aggressive service providers and big business players in the market are now taking the chill pill and considering more soothing approach to doing business so as not to lose their customers and clients in this season.

The flaccid nature of our economy today has generated aggressive implications that is so rife and intense such that the hitherto, very comfortable people and homes are reviewing budgets and lifestyle downwards.

This experience is making many of us rethink our priorities, identify the essentials, moderate our appetite for the unnecessary and curtail wastage.

And you know what? Even through this season, good habits and lessons are being learnt by those who desire to. There is a good side to it tell you.

I’ve practically lost count of friends, contacts and associates whom today have suffered a job loss or a salary cut.

Losing your employment at a time when the prices of goods and services are escalating in an unprecedented fashion can be scary and mentally paralysing.

Many just call me up crying and lamenting, they list all the essential responsibilities and carter on their plate and can’t help but wonder how they’d cope and not end up in disgrace. Truth be told it can be daunting and very painful.

My dear friend, If in this season you’ve lost your job, experienced a cut in your income or your business has gone sour, every reasonable person would understand with you and empathise with you. All your friends and associates will blame it on the economy and the recession situation. They will console and comfort you, they will pray for you and some will even say to you to call them up if you need any help. They will sincerely feel sorry for you.

Your parents, your spouse, your friends, your children, your landlord, your suppliers, employees, everyone in your circle, will really feel sorry for you if you’ve suffered a setback in career and business.

But can I tell you this home truth? The sympathy, and empathy and understanding is for a very short season.

If you get trapped in the belief that everybody understands and you embrace the situation and not quickly jump on the next opportunity for employment or business recovery, you may regret it.

Yes, initially everyone would understand, but as the implication of your bad condition hits them too, their attitude would most likely change.

After a month or at most six weeks, your landlord is likely going to call and find out if you have any thought or plans on how to pay the rent as he’s also affected. After half term, the school authorities would send you a message about your kids school fees; yes they know what happened to you, but if you don’t pay the school fees of your kids, the school can’t run as well, so they send you gentle reminders asking when you’ll pay up.

If you have aged parents who also depend on you, they will call you up and offer very long prayers and pronounce powerful blessings but end everything up with a soft reminder of the implication of the season on them as well and how you need to help no matter how little.

Even your loving and understanding spouse will after about two months of no salary go quiet on you. She may not criticise or attack or condemn you, she would just become very quiet and distant – that’s if she’s nice.

One night she might just ask a very funny question like, how many of you were relieved of your employment in your department, how come you were not amongst those that were not affected and she’d leave it at that. I promise you she still cares and she’s praying for you but she’s human and she’s a woman and women hate being broke after having enough to spend for a long time. It’s disheartening for them.

Then your lovely kids would begin to ask questions about why they can’t have this kind of food and that kind of snack or go to certain fun places anymore.

Then your very close friends who promised to support you will after a while begin to ignore your calls and call you back much later with apologies that they were in a serious long meeting.

Then within you, fear, insecurity, helplessness, hopelessness, resentment, self-doubt and tension would begin to set in.

My dear friend, when you’re hit negatively by a situation, you can take your time to feel the hurt; enjoy sympathy and empathy but make sure you don’t pitch a tent in self-pity and make it a permanent excuse.

Come out of it quickly and start chasing solutions and options. Don’t let anyone sell you a lie that no one is recruiting in this season and don’t you dare lie to yourself there are no vacancies out there. You’d be surprised what you’ll find if only you try.

Defeat begins in the mind and most of the time, perception is not the reality. You need to reject negative news, thoughts, suggestions and information about the economy. You need to protect your mind from pollutants and deformation.

Any information that will stop you, trap you and stagnate you should be rejected no matter the source. Whilst you’re in the struggle, you must protect and guard your heart will all diligence, out of it flows the issues of life, including the possibility of a superior employment, yes, even in a recession. As you think, so are you, your expectations shall never be cut short either it’s positive or negative. 

Avoid people, places, media programs and social media broadcast that would escalate your fears, doubt and worries. Gravitate towards encouragers, positive people and words of hope.

With human beings, perceptions and interpretations change with time. The same people showing care, love and understanding today, the same people you’ve supported, financed and provided for, for so many years will begin to call you lazy, laidback, irresponsible and a failure if you make the mistake of pitching with the negative impact of these times on your career, business and finances.

In your own interest, own your battle, face the challenge, even if it means settling for a lesser position or level of income, take on any employment you can find for now. It will help the way your people perceive you and assess you. To sit at home, and blame the government, curse leadership, and post nasty comments on social media will not help your situation.

Ingest positive information, seek for fresh opportunities, develop great ideas and make all the necessary moves. Own your life, own your career; own your business.

Connect with helpers, encouragers and those who seem to know the way and how to help you even in this season. Every problem in this world is as a result of ignorance. Your problem is a proof of what you’re yet to know. When you find answers, problems vanish.

The season of permission and understanding by family and friends will soon pass and very quickly too. Before your story about how you lost your job and employment begin to irritate them, better do something quickly.

Let go of the painful loss and channel your thinking towards a better tomorrow. You really don’t have much time.

Don’t be a prisoner of the negative experience, let it remain in your past, start thinking tomorrow, stop thinking excuses, start thinking solution and ways out and up. That’s how champions think, and trust me when I say this, you are a champion. So, think tomorrow.