giggling

In my last post I talked about how young people graduating from College or School in this tough economy could find different ways of dealing with the possibility of not finding a job in their field.  (See Swallowing Pride while digesting the Brain). 

 But it is not only young graduates that are having a hard time finding work. There are millions of other working people that have been laid off and some besides that have lost their homes or apartments. Thousands of homes have gone into foreclosure, which is a legal process that bars a person from redeeming their mortgaged home or estate. Literally the doors to entering their homes are barred shut as if with steel from them ever entering that house again. This is a terrible feeling to be put out of your own home, and besides that to not have a job. What are these people to do now? Some of the suggestions given in the previous post can also be used by older adults. It means doing whatever you can to make some money to get yourself off the streets, or out of a homeless shelter. Eventually to get a home again.

 I look around New York City and see some very creative ways some homeless jobless people are dealing with their situation. Like I wrote before in my first post (Finding humor amidst hard times) having a sense of humor can help anyone deal with any depressing and stressful situation. And this is exactly what some homeless people are doing to cope with their circumstances. Since a lot of them find shelter in the subways they use the trains as their working places. One homeless man rides one of the subway lines constantly and performs as a Comedian, even referring to the subway train as his new home and the passengers as his guests sitting in his living room (the train car). He tells jokes and keeps everybody on the trains cracking up. Then he walks around to each passenger with a Styrofoam cup or paper bag and collects money from his audience.

 Well, shouldn’t people pay him for his work? He gives them a comedy show, makes them laugh, they would have to pay a lot more to see a comedian on Broadway or in a theatre. Then after he finishes with one car, he pushes himself through the steel subway doors into the other car and gives his show all over again. He goes from one train car to the other pushing through the steel doors with his styrofoam cup collecting from each passenger after each performance.   

This is such a smart way to help oneself. He uses his talent as a comedian to perform and collects money in his homeless state, to get out of that situation. With the millions of people traveling each day, he can earn a lot of money to get himself back to living a normal life again. I see this being done by so many others when riding the subway trains in New York City. Some others play music on the trains but also on the platforms where people wait, and then collects their money from the passengers. Just last week a young man came on the train and called for everybody’s attention. Then told his story about losing his job and becoming homeless, even mentioning that he just had a newborn son in May and now they are living in a homeless shelter.

 He was trying to find a way to make a living so that he could get his own place again. Then he belted out in singing in the most beautiful voice ever. He had everybody’s attention, he could really sing. It was like being at a talent show as everybody was intently focused on this young man’s singing. After that he went around with his cup and to my surprise everybody put money in it, not only pennies but also dollar bills. We all enjoyed his singing and wanted to help him get back on his feet and get a real home to live in again especially with a new baby. 

So many use the subway trains and the waiting platforms to entertain and make some money to get out of their homeless state. That is smart. I don’t know if this is illegal or not. If it is then I am not encouraging anything that is against the law, but I see it all the time and think it is so brave and creative for people to find so many ways to help themselves in this recession. It is not begging, begging is asking for something without doing nothing. We should use decernment as to whether some people are just trying to scam us out of money. But I am talking here about those that are sincerely finding ways to work and help themselves. They are entertaining the passengers and asking for a donation which I think they rightfully deserve.  

They are working, even if using a different type of stage to perform, they deserve to be paid. And really, everybody enjoys entertainment, and if all you have to do is to contribute whatever amount you want, then by all means, put something in their cup to help them get a place to live again. It cost a lot more to go to a theatre or movie these days, than putting a few pennies or a dollar in a homeless man or woman Styrofoam cup for their performance. 

I see one homeless woman whom goes around the streets collecting empty cans and bottles from the garbage or off the streets, and putting them in a big garbage bag. She takes these to the supermarket where they have some type of machine that collects and crushes these and then pays her for each one. How much she gets depends on how many she collects a day. But still whatever it is, it is better than nothing, and she is performing a service by picking up tossed cans and bottles and getting some money for them. 

 But what I found to be a very interesting idea was one homeless man that used to sit on the sidewalk next to a Fast Food Restaurant not to far from where I live. But for the last couple of weeks, he had gotten up from sitting down on the sidewalk and was opening the door of the restaurant for each passenger as they enter. Even mothers with baby carriages he patiently opens the door and helps them get the baby carriage in.

He patiently keeps standing and waits until people exit, he opens the door again and holds out his Styrofoam cup to collect some money. Some people just ignore him and walk right pass him. But he doesn’t give up, and eventually some appreciates his service and put money in his cup. ”And why not?” I asked myself. Isn’t he doing the same thing that the highly paid uniformed doormen in the upper class neighborhood apartment buildings in Manhattan do?

He is performing a service for the customers, and he is asking for a tip or donation for his work. Can you imagine if he does this everyday and considering the hundreds of people entering this Fast Food Chain daily, he could make several hundred dollars a week. Eventually he could make enough money to get an apartment again and use this experience to get a real salaried doorman job if he choose to do that.

It is so interesting to observe how so many unfortunate people are using different ways to cope with this recession, to get out of their jobless and homeless state. It shows that many homeless people really want to work and are intelligent enough to find ways to make money to help themselves rather than resigning to begging and handouts. 

 And it depends on each one of us when we see someone genuinely doing a job or performing, whether it is on the subway trains or opening a door for us at a restaurant or anything else to really appreciate their service, their desire to get out of their desperate homeless and jobless state. In this way we can really aid many to open those steel barred doors that have closed their homes or apartments, by putting some money in their Styrofoam Cups. Helping them to get off the streets, find a real job and in getting a home, or a place to live in again. 

 Written by (C) Glenda Brill

To be proud is to have proper self respect. It is good to be proud of our accomplishments. Parents can be proud of the good job they are doing for their children. But excessive pride is harmful, and can cause us to lose out on great opportunities. The definition of pride in the dictionary is: disdainful haughty behavior, an inordinate self esteem, conceited, looking down on others, while exalting self. Nobody likes being around people like that!

So we are in the month in which millions of young people will be graduating, (or have already) from some of the top Colleges and Universities in the world, or even from High School. Many with Degrees in highly specialized fields of study. Ofcourse all graduates are proud to have finished school and look forward to finding a great job in which they can utilize their acquired knowledge and skills.

But in today’s economy it is going to be very hard for many young people coming out of school to find jobs in their field, or any job at all. So here is where they have to swallow pride, (bad pride), and start digesting their brain. To digest is to classify, distribute,  assimilate mentally, or to extract ingredients from the brain to help yourself find a way to make a living while putting pride aside. Because it will involve accepting jobs that you will consider beneath you, or are to educated or qualify for, or pays hardly anything for someone with an education at all.

Sometimes a person can develop a Big Head because of their new profession, and look down on others whom doesn’t have the same. And may be determined to find a job in their profession no matter what. But the bigger your head, the harder it will be to get into any opening. That increase in size is all Bad Pride, a lot of wind that can overcrowd the brain and make it more difficult to digest, to use it to your advantage.

Let me use some examples of lowly jobs that some people might have to take to make some money even if much less than what is expected from a higher position. What if the only opening that is available at S&W downtown is for a janitor, or an office maid, someone to upkeep and clean the office buildings. Now that might be a company that you have the qualifications for to be an executive or any other high position, and make a good salary. So here is where swallowing pride, and digesting the brain comes in. If you take the cleaning job, you will at least be making some money, getting experience, and you got your foot in the door of a great company.

You can learn a lot by just observing what goes on in such a company while cleaning off the desks, emptying the waste baskets etc. Don’t you think when the economy turns around and a new position that matches your skills opens up in one of the departments, you might be the first person they call? They already have your Resume, they know your qualifications, and you are already working for them, so no doubt you will finally get the job you want! So swallowing pride, and digesting the brain will eventually pay off.

Some young people can find jobs at Fast Food places, in small retail stores, at gas stations, cashiers, tellers, provide dog walking services, dishwashing services, baby sitting, tutoring, waiter and waitresses, cleaning for large institutions like hospitals, supermarkets, warehouses, companion care, etc. I just saw a small Flower Store that was looking for someone to clean the floors, and they wanted a young person. There are a lot of companies that will hire you to do Odd jobs that will require you to swallow pride, and use your brain but you will be employed and have money to support yourself. All the while learning all you can about serving people and running a business.

Do you know that many Managers and business owners started off working in fast food restaurants, or doing other odd jobs? Many Business owners (myself included) started from learning all they could from lowly jobs. Because every business no matter how small means serving people. Learning good customer service habits and getting along with people is one of the most valuable skills you can put on your Resume. Because no business can succeed without customers.

I have seen it happen many times, and even with myself. When I finished Art & Design School I walked the streets of New York City for months and couldn’t find a job in my field, basically because everybody wanted experience. So that is another thing many young people will hear, you got no experience. I got one job with a small Graphic Design Studio, but they wanted me to assist with design work, but mostly to answer phones and lie to their customers, which I refused to do.

 Some businesses will test you to see if you are willing to do anything just to use your profession or work for them. Swallowing pride doesn’t mean sacrificing all moral values or being dishonest just to get a job. So that ended, and any other design job I applied for wanted reference from them, which they didn’t give.  So far that was the only experience I had. So it meant doing other jobs that had nothing to do with Graphic Design while learning all I could. I worked through many temporary agencies doing administrative clerical work for some very good companies throughout New York and a few even in New Jersey.

Most of the time I was told I would be doing clerical or administrative work, but then they had me doing some data entry, or working in the back office, taking care of old files, and inventory, all kinds of odd jobs. I used every opportunity to digest my brain, by learning everything I could about running a business, customer service, how files are kept, how they did their accounting, everything about business that I needed to know I was learning. I was not working in my field of study liked I hoped to, even though I continued to look, but I was learning a lot about the needs of businesses, and how to serve them, and acquiring skills necessary to run a business of my own.

When the temporary agencies had no work, I tried some department stores. I was hired temporary at one large department store. They told me I would be the Sales Associate, but when I got there I was given the command to walk the sales floor and pick up all the stuff that customers were dropping on the floor, and put them back on the racks and shelves. I knew I was certainly far more qualified than that. Did I had to swallow pride?

 Oh, yes, I wanted to tell that manager that I know I was better educated than her, but I kept my mouth shut, swallowed pride, digested my brain, and did as I was told. Because I needed the money, but at the same time I was getting experience in customer service, learning the retail business, and while picking up and re-stacking clothes, I got a great look at all the new fashions, which is one of my loves. You see by then I was determined that I was going to have my own business and I was learning all I can even from the lowliest of jobs.

When that sales job ended, and the temporary agencies still were slow, I tried a domestic cleaning agency. I was sent to a little elderly lady home to do cleaning for her for $6 an hour for 4 hours. She loved how I cleaned her place, and before long she told all her older lady friends about her new cleaning girl. And within a short period of time I had a new base of elderly women customers for whom I was doing house cleaning for. Yes I was cleaning homes, their dirty kitchens and bathrooms, all through referrals.

Some even referred me to jobs in between, as babysitter, nanny, elderly companion. Swallowing pride paid off because I was always employed, making some money and was learning all I need about serving people, and managing a business. I was keeping books, had my own lists of clients (all elderly women) scheduling appointments, making and receiving phone calls, all the things every business does. And making double what I started with since they didn’t have to pay an agency anymore. I got the full price of $10 to $12 an hour, saving them money and learning a lot from those of older years.

Eventually my older customers died off. No, I didn’t kill them, I missed them, I looked forward to working for them, but they were all in their 70’s and 80’s. So when they died my cleaning business came to an end. By then things started getting better, and I eventually worked myself up to becoming a Sales and Customer Service Rep for a large International Beauty Company, using the experience I had acquired from doing those previous lowly jobs. This eventually lead to finally using my professional creative skills in Graphic Design, designing ads, brochures, flyers, and developing my parttime business, own line of Unique Greeting Cards.

So recent graduates or any young person looking for work now, if you speak to many well established business owners you will be surprised at how many of them had a very humble beginning. So don’t become conceited or high minded, extract information from your brain and use it to help yourself.  Don’t be afraid to take a job that is out of your profession, or you might consider beneath you. 

 Your education will never be in vain. Eventually when the economy turns around you will get the job you want, or use your profession. Or you might even decide to start a business of your own from doing one of your odd jobs.(email me for info on catalog sales jobs, that you can do besides any other job, email address is on “About Me” page)

 One thing for sure about swallowing pride and digesting your brain is that you will always be employed. There is always somebody that needs a service rendered for them. Especially the elderly, you can get paid just by being a companion, a listening ear, or running errands, and learn a lot from them. 

 Just swallow that pride and knock on doors and you will find them. Find a need that you can fill, and fill it. And if you do a good job, people will be calling you to work for them. That is what business is all about. (Remember my experience above). You might enjoy working for yourself, that you may decide that you no longer want a company job. Many businesses started this way. No matter how lowly the job is, it will teach you something, you will be making some money, and be able to put a dollar away, and whether you decide to work for yourself, or get a job with a company, you will have the experience of providing great customer service that will serve you well throughout your life.

Written and illustrated by: Glenda Brill