Signs that the Earth Fractured

The signs were there for a long time. People struggling to get ahead at all cost, companies driven to maximize their profits at the expense of the public and finally collapse. Well, maybe not full collapse, but certainly a setback that will take years to recover from providing we really ever do recover back to those previously lofty levels.

How has the economic downturn hit you? Has it cost you money, your job or perhaps just a little stress and sweat. Don't worry; the process has sucked in just about everyone including most of the RICH people. In fact, it may have hit some of them the worst.

No more lounging around the pool whiling away the hours after the losses to the stock portfolio. Of course, Bernie helped a few along the way. It's as if the Earth had fractured, cracked open starting at Wall Street and began to swallow up business after business and family after family indiscriminately eating away at the financial fabric of our nation and our world of reality.

Have we seen the worse days or are there new revelations yet to come? Personally, I like to think we have the strength and perseverance as a nation to take control of our destiny and reinvent the way we do business and interact as a people.

The most revealing side of this matter is the character of people. Entire communities rallying around their friends and neighbors to help them out in a dire time of need. Plus, there has been a true change in the way people view income and work.

Many companies have either had to cut drastically back or suffer the indignity of bankruptcy or worse yet, closure. Following this curve of the whirlpool has been a spite of job losses that suck the life giving income from families like yours and mine.

In turn, people have reinvented themselves and the way they work. Freelance workers abound and the freelance market is growing stronger by the day. Suddenly, people are discovering those natural skills and talents they have kept hidden along with the vast knowledge and experience they have gathered throughout the years.

Think about it, your knowledge and experience along with the skill sets you possess is your true value. Companies don't hire you to sit idle all day, they hire you because you have the ability to do a specific set of skilled functions or you have valuable knowledge to share. Guess what? You still do!

Only now, companies find themselves unable to hire on part-time and full-time workers. So what is the next logical step? They turn to freelance job banks to fill those short-term needs from the very people many companies just released.

You are sitting on a potential goldmine. There are a great number of people making far more income as freelance workers than ever as a full-time employee. But wait, it isn't as easy as it sounds. You need to cultivate your skills and learn to market yourself to individuals and companies that NEED your skills and smarts.

Is this the sign of economic growth? Perhaps, because small business is the core of our economy. Plus, with the advent of the internet more and more business is turning to the cost effective way to network worker integration.

It could prove to be your best job ever allowing you to work from a home base with a variety of firms that need small projects on short notice. During the research for this article I saw numerous people making mid five figure and even six figure incomes from home in freelancing. Several of the larger freelance job banks routinely filter through thousands of potential work assignments each month.

And I don't mean just software programmers and business whiz kids. These are short-term skill based projects like babysitters, personal assistants, business planners, painting, carpentry and even radio and television support.

Is it for you? That, I can't say. However, I know that tapping the golden opportunity within you might be the answer to these economic woes. If it is, I'm all for it.