From Dead Time to Service

So you've lost your job and there is not much income at the moment. Hanging around the house and sleeping late have become new habits and as you sit there on the couch in your dead time realizing that nobody's hiring you, the security you once felt has all but dwindled away. You are downright worried.

How can you get back in the game? Let's consider a new idea. Maybe it's time to do something radical but, oh so worthwhile. Are you ready? Service.

When we haven't enough funds to make ends meet, we aren't usually thinking about what we can do for others, but if we can get there in our head at all, this is exactly what we should be doing.

Serving others is a sure fire way to take the focus off our woes and place it on to the needs of others. It's true that we'd probably choose to have our own problems when compared to those of another and this can become very apparent when we are in the service of others because there is always someone else who has a more difficult path to walk.

If you're out of work, you have time available to offer some real service to people who need your help and though this doesn't sound very financially productive, you just never know when a job offer or just the right connection will fall into your lap.

Not only is it important for you to have your name in all the job placement agencies, but if you can add your name to the list of volunteers that are called upon in various agencies around your area, you will be amazed at the results. Expanding your network of business acquaintances will do wonders for your exposure in the job placement arena, not to mention your frame of mind.

Knowing we can contribute to the world is one of our basic needs as humans. We yearn to be an active member of our community and society, offering our individual talents and skills for the public good, and when we're not, we waste away by side of the road. We simply must be productive in order to be happy.

The doors that open as a result of taking action as a volunteer during this "work break" will inspire you to think differently about the work you could be doing. You may even change your career path on the spot.

Volunteering surely broadens our view of life and shows us shadows we have not seen before. We grow emotionally and see our personal landscape in a different light. We are taught gratitude without anyone ever saying the words and if you want to "be the change" as so many are talking about today; this is the way to do it right.

Places seeking volunteers are listed below. Consider these as things you can do to pass the time and put yourself into a possible "right place at the right time" scenario while looking for work.

* Hospitals
* Nursing homes
* Women's shelters
* Teen houses
* Orphanages
* Animal shelters
* Soup kitchens
* Local Dept. of Human Services

Also check with:

* Local Police, Fire, Parks and Recreation Depts
* Town hall
* YMCA / YWCA
* Boys and Girls Clubs
* Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce
* Realtors
* Lawyers
* Retailers
* Doctor offices

Most of us can use a broom, rake or shovel to help a neighbor or local business. Any small business could use some help, especially if it's free and useful

You just never know where a volunteer would be welcome and all you have to do is show up personally and ask the manager or owner if they could use some help doing whatever they need done for an hour or two. If they say no, wish them well and move on. For liability purposes, not every place will be able to have you on their premises without being an employee.

Just think of it. If every out-of-work person offered a few hours a week to the agencies that need it, our citizens would feel much more cared for, and those workers would not only expand their network, but also feel great about themselves and the life they lead while wading in that temporary mire of uncertainty that is called "the unemployed."