Unstuck

I caught a portion of a talk show where the host was trying to encourage the guest to become more active about looking for work.  The guest had become despondent over his job loss in the IT sector and was horrified at the thought of taking a lower paying job just to earn a little money.  Meanwhile, his wife was working like mad in an attempt to keep their home and put food on the table.

They are at a crossroad financially.  Do they file for bankruptcy?  Do they stop trying to save their home and just let the foreclosure happen?

They are at a crossroad emotionally.  She feels not cared for. He feels misunderstood. They can't see each others point of view.

What a difficult set of circumstances to be in. 

I said a silent prayer for them and hoped the exposure on television would bring them some solutions.

He's stuck in his paradigm of what once was.  She's stuck in the grind of trying to keep them afloat each day.

Both seemed to feel cheated by life and each other.

The program was on my mind as I drove by this house today with a lemonade stand and sign out front.  After reading it, I wanted to know if Alex's lemonade stand was famous and I came to learn that Alexandra or Alex as she was known had been stuck too.   Shortly before her first birthday, Alex was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.

Alex was stuck in hospitals, stuck in doctors offices, stuck at home.  But Alex got 'unstuck' in one way.  At the tender age of 4, after just receiving a stem cell transplant, she informed her mother, "When I get out of the hospital I want to have a lemonade stand."  She said she wanted to give the money to the doctors to help them find a cure.

Alex began her lemonade stand and raised $2,000 during that event.

Alex got unstuck by reaching out to do something, whether or not it benefited her directly.

In August 2004, Alex passed away at the age of 8, knowing that, with the help of others, she had raised over $1 million to help find a cure for the disease that took her life.

I wonder what would happen if the laid off IT guy volunteered somewhere, even if it was just for a few hours a week, doing what he had done so successfully in his career?  What if he provided some much needed, free of charge, IT support to a not for profit organization?

He shouldn't do it to 'get' a business connection or job offer, of course if a job offer, or connection comes along that's swell.

He should do it to get unstuck.

Would it keep his skills sharp?  Would it get him engaged and back in the game?  Would it provide the not for profit organization with a nice technology boost?  What would get unstuck?  His skill?  His confidence?  Their IT problems?  Probably.

What about us, maybe we're stuck in other ways.

Have a business and business is down?  Get unstuck, provide your products and services to an charitable organization.

Have a job that you do because you have to but dream to do something else?  Do it for free at a not for profit, you get a taste of your dream and they gain some new found project or support.

Sometimes the best way for us to get unstuck, is to reach out to someone else and give up a part of ourselves so we can get unstuck.

What do you think?

 

"It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich."

Sarah Berndardt (1844-1923)

Comments

[Mark]

Thanks for this great article Deb. One of the biggest challenges for us is to learn to take the focus off of ourselves. But when we do, the rewards are incredible.

Nicely written!

[wendy]

wow, Deb!! This is so pertinent to my life and what is going on right now. Sure, I don't exactly feel "stuck" and FAA keeps me from feeling that way, but I do feel frustrated. So, what I am currently thinking about is volunteering my design talent to church and etc (perhaps many churchs??) and just work at a "fun" company to make money to allow ends to meet. Sure, is any of this forever, no!! The LORD is always preparing our hearts and lives for the future!!

[Deb]

Thanks for your feedback Mark and Wendy~