Oh? Did I Say That?

Today I surprised myself. I was guesting a gym with a friend’s membership. We were on the elliptical talking about everything and anything. This is unusual because this is the first time I hung out with her outside events/parties.

We talked about being in our thirties. She had seen a image of an senior citizen with an oxygen tank at the gym at one of the machines. It said something like, “I’m at the gym. What’s your excuse.” She said she would send it to me when she found it again.

My friend said that if he can go to the gym and do a full work out, then she can too. Then one of us said at least we were alive. Some people aren’t so lucky. I agreed while thrusting my arms forward and backward on the elliptical machine. Then I said, “It’s better than the alternative.” Did I just say that?

It was morbid, but it was strangely positive at the same time. Being older was better than the alternative–being dead. I didn’t have time to fully digest what I had said until my friend and I parted ways. Can you imagine the time you could spend on thinking of that phrase alone?? It is better than the alternative.

Maybe I’m making more of a big deal out of it than I should. Despite being a new year–jobless, lack of money, lack of romance, living at home, sharing living space with a pregnant teen and teenage father–out came this little positive inspiration. It was something like a Freudian Slip. That even though I may be in a lackluster situation, my mind was reminding me that it was better than not having a chance at life at all. It’s sad, but true.

Unemployment Stigma

Many  unemployed people are met with a disgraceful opinion from their peers, unless of course you were one of the many people who were laid off from your job recently. For those of us who haven’t had a job in the last year or more and are being productive, this blog post is for you.

A lot of people think that if you are unemployed, you spend every day watching television shows, sitting on the couch, or sleeping in. That isn’t the case for all unemployed people. If you are like me, you have gone to school earned a degree, applied for jobs, but still haven’t met the right employer. You have done everything you thought you needed to do to get a job in your field, but you still haven’t gotten one. You have to make ends meet somehow. I freelance my work, I write via blogging, twitter and work on one of several books I am writing.

My theory is that people who do have jobs they have to go to either don’t like their job or wish they had more time to do what they wanted after their work day is over. They see us entrepreneurs doing what we want and look down upon us for thinking outside the box instead of conforming with the rest of the job force.

Another stigma of being unemployed is that your friends think you always have an open schedule. I still have people to see and places to be, so if your one night off work in two weeks is the night I’m busy, don’t get mad. I can’t change my schedule any more than you can.

Another stigma of being unemployed is that you don’t have any money. I have a little income, so I can still go out when my friends invite me to events. I have been asked by people I know how I make the money I spend. It can be considered a rude question depending on the kind of person you are. In my case, the people asking have always been people who travel every other month to other cities, other states, and/or other countries. Then they complain about not being able to pay their rent. I never once suggested to them that maybe they shouldn’t take so many trips that costs money to drive or fly plus having to pay for hotel stays. It’s not my business to suggest to them how they should spend their money unless, of course, they ask me. And none of them ever do. It baffles me when people ask me about my finances when they should be worried about their own, even if they are curious.

Entrepreneurs and freelance workers just live a different way. And it’s easy for people to look down upon you if you are different. So if you are one the many who are unemployed and still work, don’t let the other people’s negativity stop you. All you can do is shrug their comments off and go about your way. If they refuse to let it go, it’s about time you let them go.

Welcome to 2013

If you have friends, but no money…you are depressed about unemployment.

If you have a job, but no friends…you are depressed about not having friends.

If you have friends and you have a job, but you have social anxieties…you are depressed right before hanging out with friends.

If you have no friends because you have social anxieties…you are relieved to stay at home.

If you have no job because you have social anxieties…you are relieved you don’t have go out and spend money.