Anxiety will be an uninvited guest at the holiday table this year. Despite a rally here or there, the stock markets are deeply depressed. Instead of getting fat on holiday sales, retail outlets are begging for shoppers and even shuttering their doors. Companies are laying off workers, and 2009 is shaping up as…well, never mind, we’ll get there soon enough.
But even in a battered economy, there are things to be thankful for—especially if you’re opportunistic and bold. Here are 10:
Extra work. Mounting layoffs are scary, but even during the Great Depression, the majority of workers kept their jobs. A downturn can even open doors to achievement that are closed during flush times. When workers get laid off, it often leaves projects and clients that need to be picked up by somebody. When managers look to dole out those extra responsibilities, some of your colleagues may roll their eyes. It would be smarter to roll up your sleeves and volunteer for the extra work. Once nameless drones can build a can-do reputation by taking on new duties and proving themselves as valuable utility players. Just don’t get so overwhelmed that you can’t perform. And for the newly unemployed, one consolation is the chance to try something totally new—say, a part-time job working as a shoe cobbler—which can add the sort of color that really sets a résumé apart later on.
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