The Call to Action

So there you are, living your life the way you have always been taught…living the “Rut-race”…travelling the same path day in and day out, and now you are 55+.  The work is familiar to you and you really do enjoy it, even though you are getting a little tired, but you tell yourself you only have a few more years and you can RETIRE!  So that is what you motivate yourself with every day as you get up and go to work. –Until one day when you walk into work and are handed a “pink slip”, voila, you are magically out of work.  The cushy job you had and thought would continue working at until your official retirement at age 65 has now de-materialized!

Now what?

You check your bank accounts and investments, and realize that you just don’t have the savings and investments you need to live the rest of your life with any kind of lifestyle close to what you have become accustomed.  You are 10, or so, years short of your financial goals.  The Employment Insurance will only last you about 5 or 6 months.  

Then what do you do?

-But you are still vibrant and full of life!  You are intelligent!  You have no signs of dementia…perhaps a few aches and pains showing up slightly, but nothing serious.  You are active and exercise

regularly.  You still look and feel great!  Why don’t they want you?  Oh yes, you shed more than a few tears!

Even though you feel dejected and rejected, you go out and search for another job and send out hundreds of resume’s…only to find that nobody wants you!   “Are they discriminating against me?” you ask.  -Or is it my age group?  -But wait!  You receive a job offer!  Wooppee!  Someone really wants you!  The excitement wells up in you and your heart pounds as you open the email!  Everything is just what you were looking for, until you read the last line.  Sadly, they are only offering you a little above minimum wage.  

What do you do?  

If you accept this offer, you know that you will not even have enough to pay your essential bills, let alone food.  The offer isn’t much above the amount of your EI cheque.  Do you swallow your pride and accept this “new offer” or do you dig your heels in and start your own business?

News Flash!  

You are not necessarily being discriminated against!  Businesses are only making a business decision.  If they can hire two people who are half your age and pay them both what you were receiving, it is only economics.  The businesses know that they will be sacrificing some wisdom and experience by hiring someone younger, but they will only be paying them ½ of what they were paying you.  To the businesses, it is worth the sacrifice.  It’s simply business economics.

Here you have all this wisdom, experience, knowledge, great health and energy.  How can you use all this to be of service in the world?  So, you decide to start your own business while you are on EI.  Don’t tell anyone, because you might just be making an income!  Sadly, you don’t make any income, and your EI runs out.  How do you get your little business to start paying you?

Read the next post for “The Rest of the Story”.

Christine Stringam Till

The LinkedIn Marketing Mentress

www.marketingmentress.com

marketingmentress@gmail.com

LI: /christinetill

FB: /christinetill

TTR: @mktgmentress

780-904-9557 Mobile