Article Feauturing Dr Amit K.Saiya in the Sunday Times of India 11th Jan'' 09

Lessons of life in the time of recession
With the fear of pink slips gripping the corporate world, more and more professionals are looking at alternative careers and doing a reality check on what’s really important in life
Kamini Mathai | TNN

A pink slip doesn’t have to mean the end of the world. It might just be the key to a door you never bothered to unlock.

As in the case of Maya Ganesh, 34, who works with Frost and Sullivan, a consulting firm in the city, as a copywriter. Three months ago, she was a corporate trainer, running her own company specialising in communication skills and customer service. When the recession set in, the training contracts with several companies stopped and Maya was left wondering what to do. “That’s when I decided to get into writing full time. It was always a hobby of mine but because I was working as a trainer for so long it never struck me to get into writing as a career option. So in October I went back to Frost and Sullivan, a company I had worked with as a trainer, and pitched for a job as a copywriter. I’ve never been happier and if it wasn’t for the recession I probably wouldn’t have even thought of pursuing writing,” she says. Maya is also now freelancing for a magazine.

Dr Amit Saiya, a life coach in the city, says his phone has not stopped ringing since October when the first lot of pink slips found their way into the hands of many executives. He has been coaching and counselling people over the phone, through email and in person since then and is so booked up that for a one-to-one session people need to now book a week or more in advance. “I tell all the people I coach not to look at the negative side of the recession but the positive side and work on what can be done.” He says most of the people who have come to him in the last three months are afraid of losing their jobs. “They haven’t lost their jobs yet, but they live in the constant fear they too might be shown the way out. The first thing I tell them is to cross the bridge when they come to it. When you start living in fear, you won’t be able to perform well at work, which will probably result in you being downsized. So stop fearing,” he adds.

One of the people Saiya coached – Saima Khan – works as legal director for a financial investment company in the Middle East. She says that the existing scenario in the region has created a feeling of utter hopelessness, fear and uncertainty in her. “Even though I am one of the fortunate ones to have not lost my job, the conditions have made me realise it’s time for a reality check. I started looking at all the positive things that I had in hand and worked on them instead of fearing the unknown and sulking over my problems. This situation has made me realise the importance of saving and living within my means. This has given me a feeling of contentment, making me value what I have in hand.”

Dr E S Krishnamoorthy, director, Institute of Neurological Sciences VHS Medical Centre, feels that the ‘mystified bust’ is actually the same as the ‘mystified boom’. “Both are perceptions. People perceived there was a boom and therefore took risks, spent money, lived a lavish life. Today, they perceive a bust and are panicking and doing everything in the reverse. Neither situation was a reflection of reality. The people who come to me are taking the recession in two ways – there is the lot who are despondent and there is other group who are thinking of ways to work around the situation. One of my patients is an IT professional who has started a food business on the side. It’s something he likes doing and is making him feel more confident about the recession,” he says.

Dr Krishnamoorthy explains that in animal research there is something called ‘learned helplessness’. “It’s a scientific experiment where you give a rat two compartments to live in, letting him move freely between the two. Then you start giving electric shocks to the rat every time he enters one of the compartments. You will find that in a while, he learns to live within the other compartment. This is exactly what is happening today,” surmises Dr Krishnamoorthy. “Organise your desk, organise your closet and most importantly organise your life. Stop chasing the American dream. There’s nothing better than what you have,” says Dr Saiya.

REALITY CHECK
If you have lost your job, take another look at your resume. Is the profile of your last job what you really liked doing? Maybe it wasn’t or maybe you weren’t the right person for it and that’s why you were the first to be downsized. Wear a shoe that fits.
Stop worrying if you have not been fired. Cross the bridge when you come to it.
Trim your expenses and start saving.
Drop the ego. Stop peeping over to see what your neighbours have bought. Live within your means.
Do not make decisions in fear — such as leaving your company even though there is no downsizing.
This is a good time to update on your qualifications; learn a new skill set, identify new areas of opportunity.
Be solution-oriented. Talk about possible solutions, not the problems at hand.