On
March 28, 2008 I declared myself unemployed. For 10
years I had been a television editor with High Noon
Entertainment in the Denver, Colorado USA area. The
television industry works off contracts. But my shows
were expiring without renewal, and I knew that no
more contracts would be forthcoming. For the next
six months I went on a journey of exploration, and
what I discovered might help those of you facing a
similar situation.
My first and most important tip is BREATHE WITH NORMA!
Her web site is www.newbreath.net.
I ordered the Breath
of Integration CD and listened to it
a couple times a week. What this did for me can neither
be described not measured, but it WAS priceless.
Money
– Ah! The topic
most spiritual people like to ignore. Well don’t!
Know exactly where you stand financially at all times.
Balance your checkbook. Make a household budget. Know
when your bills are due and pay them on time. This
is no time to increase your living expenses with late
fees. How many credit cards do you have? What are
the balances? What are the interest rates? How much
is left on the cards? What are the consequences if
you have to live off them? How much do you have in
savings? (I don’t care what Tobias says, I like
savings accounts. I EXPECT to have more than I need,
and why shouldn’t I set it aside and let it
grow?) If you have a retirement account, how much
is in it and what are the consequences if you have
to tap it? We shouldn’t let the financial system
run our lives, but we should know what the rules are
and how to use it to our benefit.
Government
Benefits – Once again, know the rules and use
the system to your benefit. If you qualify for unemployment,
TAKE IT! I had a huge argument with Adamas about this
one; but when I made this point he finally shut up
– my employer has been paying into the unemployment
system in my name for years. So that’s MY money
and I’m going to take it. Additionally, I went
to my local Work Force Center that provides counseling
on resume writing, interviewing and job-hunting skills.
I was able to qualify for a grant that sent me to
a technical training school where I was able to work
with graphics programs that enhanced my skills as
a television professional.
Ask
yourself the question, “Why have I created this
for myself?” Then breathe and feel the answer.
For me, I was bored and stagnant at High Noon. I spent
my down time questioning whether or not I wanted to
stay in television. And if not – what would
I rather do. (More about this later.)
To
spend, or not to spend? – Always know the consequences
of your actions on your bottom line. That’s
where your household budget will come in handy. If
going to a workshop maxes out a credit card, or prevents
you from paying the rent – that might not be
a good idea. Here are two guidelines I used:
How big is the economic impact and can I live with
the consequences?
Will this keep energy moving?
I
chose to take money out of my savings to pay for six
months of Network Chiropractic treatments because
this helped me keep energy flowing. I cut out all
my visits to restaurants and my beloved Starbucks
– unless I was meeting a friend. For me, isolation
was a big problem and I needed to get out and be with
people, so that was worth the money. However, I looked
for cheap lunch deals and replaced my usual latte
with a small drip coffee. Making choices like this
will HELP BUY YOU THE TIME you need to rest, think
or create.
What next!!?? – Remember, it’s UP TO YOU
to create your next adventure. So many of us get caught
in the illusion that Spirit will do it for us. But
YOU are Spirit. And your most powerful tool is Gnost.
I think of Gnost as thought, feeling and intuition
all mixed together in one big cookie. I needed my
human mind to update my web site, re-write my resume
and search job boards. But ultimately, my resolution
came from Gnost.
Your own business vs. working for someone else –
Tobias is encouraging us to start our own businesses.
But entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. So
become an INTRA-preneur. I am borrowing this idea
from my terrific friend Jackie Meyer. She was separated
from her full-time job, so she started a marketing
consulting firm. She hated it! She would finish one
consultation, then have to scramble around looking
for her next client. She felt isolated working out
of her home when she is a people person who values
contact. “I want a job with a company!”
she says. “Every time I’ve had a job I
treated it as if it were my own business anyway and
that’s how I made my decisions,” she says.
“Besides, we’re Shambra, and how are we
going to get the New Energy into the work
place if we’re not IN the work place?”
Granted, some businesses are so rigid they would never
allow this. But many companies would LOVE to have
someone like Jackie, who will undoubtedly take a leadership
role and innovate new ideas that will keep the company
competitive in these strange economic times.
So
how did my adventure in unemployment resolve? After
considering a new profession in marketing or public
relations I realized I didn’t want to sell things.
In my heart, I am a storyteller and I want to continue
telling stories. However I prefer to tell stories
about people, and at High Noon I was telling stories
about things like food and homes and tools. So Gnost
kicked in.
I began my television career in my hometown of Dallas,
Texas where I had worked with two guys named Tony
and Kevin. I re-connected with Tony through Junior
Hockey. My dear friend Betheny has a son who plays
with Tony’s son. During one of the boys’
games, Tony was sitting in the stands with Betheny.
He bemoaned the fact that he was so overwhelmed with
clients that he was going to have to turn away business.
Betheny said, “Why don’t you call Vicki?”
Tony and Kevin have this amazing way of attracting
television projects about people in very emotional
situations – just what I was looking for. Plus,
the technology in my industry has changed in such
a way that I can do most of the work from my home
in Denver. My puny human brain never could have devised
such an elegant solution! Something this graceful
could ONLY have come from Gnost. “But Vicki,”
you might ask, “Why did you have to go through
all of that?” I wouldn’t have missed it
for the world! And here is why:
Re-writing
my resume and re-working my web site gave me renewed
appreciation for all that I am and all that I’ve
accomplished.
• I took the time to understand who I am and
what I want.
• Looking at the job boards exposed me to what
is going on in American business in a way that I have
never gotten just reading the paper or hiding in my
little corner of the television industry. As spiritual
people we may look down on corporate America, but
there are some fascinating, innovative things going
on out there.
• I now have tremendous compassion for all the
people in our country who are looking their jobs,
because I know how scary it can be.
I was
delighted to see 2008 come to an end because it was
very difficult. I look toward 2009 giddy with potential,
because I used my time and money wisely to re-route
a life that had become stale. Should you find yourself
unemployed, I hope you are able to do the same.
Vicki
Gratz is the producer of the monthly Crimson Circle
webcast from Coal Creek Canyon, Colorado. She has
been part of the Shaumbra family for nearly 10 years
and lives in Arvada, Colorado.
January
2009
Newsletter