This post brought to you by Allstate. All opinions are 100% mine.
There's a ton of discussion about unemployment and underemployment. But, what is the real difference?
You take the good, you take the bad. You take them both, and then you have the facts of life. I loved The Facts of Life as a kid, and connected with Natalie. But that’s another post for another time. Sometimes life hands you lemons and you have to figure out what to do.
About a year ago, my hours at work were cut. They were cut from 50+ hours to a hard and tight 25 hours a week. Why? I’m not really sure, but I have my ideas, all that are based on spitefulness and misplaced revenge by a co-worker.
What the heck was her problem? Who knows, other than she’s a control freak and was losing her control in the office. Anyway, I went from working 5 looooonnnngggg days a week, often coming in early and skipping lunch, to working 3 short days a week and taking my full lunch.
To add insult to injury, they wanted me to come in a half a day every single day, and one full day a week. Ummm, let me think about this. How about a big fat “NO!” Seriously, how much would that suck.
I wasn't unemployed, as I still had a job, albeit a part time one that didn't pay the bills. And the 25 hours? Yeah, that was added insult to injury. It meant that I couldn't collect partial unemployment benefits. I suddenly found myself underemployed.
While I didn’t think so at the time, it really turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I had all kinds of extra time to do what I wanted. Wanna go somewhere for the weekend? No problem! I have a 4 day weekend, every weekend. I visited a bunch of new places in my area that I either didn’t know existed, or could never manage to stop by when they were open. I reconnected with people I hadn’t seen in a while. Went to trivia night, visited friends, attended parties, met new people. It was nice.
Perhaps the best thing of all, I stopped bringing my work home with me. There’s a problem when I’m off? Oh well. Have a question about something? Too bad! It’ll have to wait until Tuesday, when I’m back in the office.
Granted, I was lucky, as I had some money saved up, and my set expenses are pretty low. Even with these low expenses, my income still didn't pay the bills, though. I did some freelance work for extra income, so I wouldn’t deplete my entire savings. I also used up some of the things I had at home. In the mood to do a craft project? Then go through your mountain of stuff and do something.
Allstate believes that the Good Life is inherently social. While bad things happen, it’s our spirit that helps us to not just persevere, but to thrive. That's why they're introducing the Allstate Good Life. Accident forgiveness, roadside assistance, and local people to help guide you through life's bumps and bruises.
What is your best story of thriving after a setback? Share in the comments.