Do you remember “Gilligan’s Island,” the television show featuring seven castaways from the SS Minnow? Of course you do, at least if you are “of a certain age,” like me.
As a child watching this goofy sitcom, it fascinated me to think one could set out on an excursion trip (“a three-hour tour, a three-hour tour”) and end up on a tropical island for years on end, keeping company with people you would not normally have spent 10 minutes with.
For me, “Gilligan’s Island” was an introduction to the “man plans, God laughs” philosophy that is so familiar to anyone who has ever tried to complete some everyday task or journey and found themselves in a totally unexpected situation instead. Sometimes these changes in course are only detours, but occasionally they are life-altering.
I was reminded of this while watching coverage of Superstorm Sandy. Tens of thousands of lives were disrupted by this storm, some for only hours when a flight was changed, but others for a lifetime when homes were destroyed or family members perished.
Of course, superstorms aren’t the only life-disrupters. We can get blown off course by almost anything if it hits at the right time or with enough force. I’ve seen this in my own life recently, due to a somewhat freakish injury. One minute I was playing hide-and-seek with wasps in the backyard and the next I was lying on the ground, my knee ligaments completely obliterated.
I’m now approaching 18 weeks on crutches, having endured surgery, physical therapy and endlessly tedious exercises. My “Gilligan’s Island” has been populated with medical professionals I would not otherwise have met, while my ingenuity has been directed not toward raft-building, but into innovations for navigating the 38 stairs that comprise my one-way trip from home to office.
I could go on about the financial loss involved in reaching one’s self-employed health insurance deductible while also reducing work hours and purchasing professional services from others. As anyone could guess, this is the kind of perfect financial storm that comes in waves.
Sound familiar? It does if you’ve lost your job or suffered a foreclosure or business loss
However you end up there, one thing seems certain in this life: We will all take at least one trip to Gilligan’s island, detoured from our “three-hour tour.” It makes sense to hone your survival skills so you can make the best of the situation when it does happen.
Here are some of the basics for your survival toolbox:
- A support system. For some, support systems are a natural part of life. But for others, asking for help is exceptionally difficult. It will be easier later if you nurture some relationships now.
- Someplace to belong. Even if you're not a natural "joiner," you'll reap the rewards later if you belong to something now. Your group could be a professional association, a house of worship or even a hobby group. If you lose your job, having no place to feel welcome will add to the blow.
- Financial reserves or at least, flexibility. Of course, we all know this. But it's still good advice: Do what you can to strengthen your finances so you can ride out at least the milder disruptions to your pay.
- A contingency mindset. When you take a new job, it makes sense to throw yourself into learning the position. But you must also reserve attention for contingency planning: What if things don't work out? Even an hour a month spent networking can create a cushion if the job ends unexpectedly.
- A sense of perspective. Whatever's happening to you, remember that it has already happened to someone else and probably in a worse way. In addition to keeping you humble, this viewpoint will make your own trials easier to bear.
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