Without a Job, Who Am I?: Rebuilding Your Self When You've Lost Your Job, Home, Or Life Savings

Submitted by WorkCreatively on Sat, 06/11/2011 - 08:05

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Title	Without a Job, Who Am I?: Rebuilding Your Self When You've Lost Your Job, Home, Or Life Savings
Publication Type	Book
Pub Year	2009
Authors	Twerski, A. J.
Publisher	Hazelden Publishing & Educational Services
Keywords	balance, forgiveness, job loss, respect, shame
Notes	forgiveness"We remind ourselves that by acting on values such as compassion, honesty, and forgiveness, we realize our real worth--the worth that is deeper than that associated with job, career, or material success." (p. 10) job loss, shame"Logically, there is no reason to feel either guilt or shame when one is laid off. However, as we have seen, shame is an all-too-common reaction. This irrational feeling might be easy to overcome were it not that it acts like a booster shot and recalls the distressing feelings of shame that one experienced in childhood. Just as the body reacts with a huge output of antibodies, the mind, too, remembers and may react with a great deal of shame." (p. 18) balance"Everything in life has a purpose, and when anything is used for the purpose for which it was designed, it will serve its natural function in life. However, if you have unrealistic expectations of something, making excessive demands of it and placing a greater burden on it than it was meant to carry, your life will fall out of balance. This is the case for people who have staked too much of their identity on their career or material things. If one has demanded that a job or stock portfolio answer the question 'Who am I?' then of course one reacts with fear and anxiety when the 'answer' is taken away. Just as exercise and meditation can reduce anxiety, so can the restoration of balance." (p. 71) respect"First, nothing makes us feel better than helping somebody else who's in trouble. You probably know someone who has lost his job or retirement savings. Invite that person over for dinner or to spend an evening together. Show that you value the friendship. Not only will you be doing something nice for someone, you will he gaining something valuable, too: when you show respect and positive feelings for another person, you acquire them for yourself." (p. 8)
URL	http://books.google.com/books?id=dqyju7t4lGsC

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