Watching television these past few days has been heart breaking. Apart from other disasters in this country one has to watch people being fired in the thousands. I do believe that the employers are doing what is best for their company at this time but the question is what are you doing to protect yourself. What is best for you? To suddenly find yourself unemployed means you are either already in debt or about to be, and trying to find credit is virtually impossible today. Well here are a few things you could do to prevent this from ever happening to you. You have to make yourself financially and emotionally stable.

Financially, you should prepare to have savings for a period of at least six months. This has to cover the bare-bone basics such as food, school fees, gas and enough to pay necessary bills. To do this one needs to be practical and cut down on excesses. Extra cell phones used by children, watching TV at home rather than going out to the movies and switching off all appliances will help towards this saving. Second, cut down on credit card spending. Whether it’s a sandwich or buying a novel you must track all that you spend and you will be surprised to see how much of it is simply unnecessary. There are also big-ticket things that can be streamlined, such as vacations. Why not drive down to your next vacation rather than spending a whole lot on air tickets for a change? Once you have your savings organised, pick a fund that will mature close to your retirement age. As one grows older it is wiser to invest more in bonds and less in stock. If, however, you have already invested in stocks, simply sit still. The markets have to bounce back ultimately. There is no point buying high and selling low.

Emotionally, one has to keep ones spirits up. First try and keep the job you have. Ensure you are working on important projects in the office, ask for added responsibilities, network more, show up at events, and remain fresh and eager in the boss’s mind space.

If you do get fired, it may be time to reinvent, and maybe even reinvest in yourself. Remember, when one door shuts another door opens, as long as you have the right attitude. Never give up.