Monday, January 19, 2009

2009 -BENCHED!

Well, 2009 is off to a rocky start. I've been benched for 6 weeks! That's right, I was a sitting duck at work, and got benched! I must say, it is better then getting plucked. Companies in Michigan are just disappearing all together so I guess I'm still happy to have a job.



Even Lebron get’s benched right?

6 whole weeks, 3 will be paid, and 3 will be unpaid. This is indeed a unique situation. This is a direct effect of GM shutting their plants down for 6 weeks. That's what Congress doesn't see. GM shuts their plants down for 6 weeks and shzit affects the blue collar workers at the plant as well as all levels of the industry. Suppliers, surrounding businesses etc More then 1/2 of our company has either been terminated or temporarily laid off until the plants are back running.

This has been a very humbling experience to say the least.

These are unusual times, I should have paid attention to this list:

Top 14 Signs Your Company is Planning a Layoff
14. CEO frequently overheard mumbling, "Eeny-Meeny-Miney-Moe."
13. Dr. Kervorkian hired as "Transition Consultant."
12. Windows 95 shutdown screen reads, "It's Now Safe to Start Looking for Work."
11. Company softball team down-sized to chess team.
10. Sudden proliferation of teen-age geek interns.
9. Your boss keeps asking you when he can "show your cubicle."
8. Company president now driving a Hyundai.
7. Annual company holiday bash moved from Sheraton banquet room to abandoned Fotomat booth.
6. Old Milwaukee is beer of choice at company picnics.
5. Guard at front desk nervously fingers his revolver whenever you pass by.
4. Giant yard sale in front of corporate headquarters.
3. Babes in Marketing suddenly start flirting with dorky personnel manager.
2. Employee Discount Days discontinued at Ammo Outlet.
1. Company dental plan now consists of pliers and string.



One week into this 6 week ordeal and I have at least caught up on some sleep.

KEEPING MOTIVATED

The important part is to keep motivated during this time.


When I had something to do and somewhere to be every minute of everyday, it was easy to stay motivated. If I didn't get something done then someone was pissed or money was not made.

I still have a ton of stuff to do, but without timelines and deadlines the motivation is not the same. It actually takes more mental strength to keep things going.

“This is a blessing in Disguise”

If I had a dollar for everyone who told me that, I could end this blog because I would be rich.

Instead of poppin’ each person in the mouth who says that, I decided to make the statement true.

I still wake up everyday and work out before 6:00 AM. The last thing I want to do is have months of fitness go down the drain due to laziness and self pity. That alone helps me stay motivated.

Working out early also forces you to shower after your workout and eat, helping you somewhat keep your daily routine. Just for the hell of it, I shave to keep myself presentable.

I also keep a lot of good DVD's in rotation that help me stay focused. I have those in the background while I'm working in my office.

Now I have the time to crank work into my businesses and my blogs. I have time to spend with my friends and family, which I haven’t taken advantage of yet because I have been super cranky.

The good part about this layoff is it let's me know what I've done right and what I've done wrong.
1. Obviously my hard work at my job has paid off. 20% of my company has been terminated since August 2008 and they kept me and are paying me for 3 weeks to sit home.

2. Second it tells me that developing my own businesses is more important then ever. Diversity is the key.

3. Third, the sate of the local economy tells me that internet based businesses with low overhead is the key to the short term future. This way you are not dependant on the economy of one State. Michigan will be suffering for awhile. To have money being generated nationwide is a good thing.

As I make it through my remaining 5 weeks I will be finding great blogs to link to, interesting stuff, more money making opportunities and getting my silly day time TV on.

MAURY SAYS, "You are not the Father"



I WILL MAKE THIS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE…..and maybe relax a little.
-MJL






2 comments:

Healthy Chelle said...

Sorry about the layoff bro. Glad you got some pay out of it. My man has been off since Dec. 12th. Thankfully he had enough vacation time to cover all his time off!

OK, OK, Now for some real stuff...

Sister Christian in me has got to say -

You are the one in control of the blessings?? Have I been praying to the wrong person??? Make sure you spend some of your new found free time connecting with The Big Boss. Remember, there's more to plan for than just this life, and from what I hear, the next one is much, much longer :)

I am not knocking your hustle. Keep it up. But don't forget who throws the opportunities your way!

An FTB Bloggers Blog said...

Hey Chelle,
Thanks for the kind words. You are right, I have been using this time to re-connect spiritually. I'm not in control of the blessings but if this is a blessing, then I need to make sure I take advantage of it, by putting the time off to good use.

A blessing not acted upon is a wasted blessing. I'm sure that "The Big Boss" has created this situation for a reason and I don't want to throw myself a pity party and miss out on an oppurtunity.

-MJL