What would you do if today after all the hard work on your job and contribution to the companies bottom-line your services were no longer needed? Your only source of income stopped dead in its tracks. Would everything be ok for you and your family? Would life go uninterrupted or maybe even get better? Or would time almost seem to stand still for a moment before it started to come crashing in?
Well sadly, this week Ford Motor Company rewarded hard working Americans with pink slips due the company?s new campaign called, ?The Way Forward.? Can you believe it? The way forward for Ford is to sacrifice the lives of the very people that helped to build the company.
“We will be making painful sacrifices to protect Ford’s heritage and secure our future,” Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Ford said in a statement. “Going forward, we will be able to deliver more innovative products, better returns for our shareholders and stability in the communities where we operate.”
Is this guy for real? He has the nerve to talk about protecting the heritage of Ford while thousands of people aren?t sure where their mortgage is going to come from.
It was hard for me to watch the news and read the stories about men and women who simply had no idea of how they were going to support their family.
While talking to a friend who lives in Indianapolis he shared how the plant closed that day. Thirty six hundred jobs were gone in a blink of an eye. He said it was devastating to his community. People were crying as they left the premises. Some people even left their cars in the company parking lot with signs on them simply saying,? Please take over payments.?
And I keep hearing the economy is getting better?for who?
As I reflected throughout the day I was reminded once again that as Americans we owe it to our families to take our lives back and build wealth from home.
Will you?
There are five famous quotes which were shared with me early in my life and have a great impact. Each one also came with a lesson. I hope they give you something to think about.
1.?There is no future in any job. The future lies in the man who holds the job.? By George Crane.
Lesson: Unless you own the business you have nothing. The power is in the ownership.
Question: How much power do you currently have? What might happen if your only source of income stopped?
2.?Lessons From Corporate America: By the time you make ends meet, they move the ends.? Author Unknown
Lesson: There is no loyalty in Corporate America. At all times you must remember to look at what is in the best interest of you and your family. Remember to mind your business not theirs.
Question: Are you minding your business? Or are you so busy working, you?re putting yourself at risk? Stop and think. What plans should you be making before they change the game? Now is the time to start thinking about home based business ideas.
3.?Assume that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. The situation has been sent to help you become better, to help you expand and grow,? by Brian Tracy
Lesson: Even when you are betrayed by your employer look for the lesson. Your skills and talents have made money for your company those talents can do the same for you. Don?t get blinded by the situation. Look for the lesson. And once you find it take it make a profit for yourself.
Question: What are you facing in the moment? Do you see the glass half empty or full? What skills and talents do you have that are transferable in starting your own business?
4.”The more you seek security, the less of it you have. But the more you seek opportunity, the more likely it is that you will achieve the security that you desire,” by Brian Tracy
Lesson: Most people stay in a job for the security of a guaranteed paycheck, benefits and retirement. However, when you do you give up time you can never get back. And at the end you may never get what you were promised. Be willing to take a risk on yourself and you can have all the things you want in life and more.
Question: Are you playing it safe and as a result risking everything?
5.”I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them!”
- Madam C.J. Walker, creator of a popular line of African-American hair care products and America’s first black female millionaire in 1919
Lesson: She was a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there she was promoted the wash tub. However, in her defining moment she promoted herself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. She didn?t wait for an opportunity she created one.
Question: Are you creating your opportunity or are you simply hoping it will come?
5.”You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours, ?by Gen. Colin Powell
Lesson: If you fail to make choices for your life someone else will and you may not like it. You have more control over your life when you take charge of it. Have a plan for yourself at all times.
Question: Ask yourself, are you letting others make choices for you?
6.?Entrepreneurs are the forgotten heroes of America,? by Ronald Reagan
Lesson: For some reason people have forgotten that this country was not built on the backs of Fortune 1000 companies. It was built on Entrepreneurship. Even today, people are willing to swim over shark infested waters to come to America?the land of opportunity. Those born here or those who come and build a legacy for their family and give other opportunities to develop are the forgotten heroes.
Question: What is the legacy you want to leave for yourself and your family?
What a difference it would have made if each of these employees had a Plan B in place.
Another source of income is one the best insurance policies you could have.
What happened to the employees of Ford Motor Company could happen to anyone. Are you prepared?
One of the most important things you can do is explore how you can create your own Plan B and work from home.
