I Owe You!

Everyone’s been talking about the U.S.’s credit rating spiraling from an AAA to an AA rating. Stocks have slipped; People are fearful. But what does going from an AAA credit rating to an AA rating really mean?

Well, I’ve come up with my own personal answers:

 

Going from AAA to AA is like going from driving a lamborghini to driving a BMW.

It’s like going from living in your own house to living in a townhouse.

It’s like going from being the Principal to being the Vice Principal.

It’s like being downgraded from bff to facebook friend.

It’s like scoring second place, from now on.

It’s like going from being totally reliable to usually reliable.

 

Let’s put it this way—I was about to invest in some new stock last week, but held off because of the new rating.

It means you’re going to lose money because you’re not trusted as much, and that sucks.

 

 

 

 

 

For the Record

Many people spend their entire lives trying to be the first—the first to cross the finish line, the first to get married, the first to buy a house.  NFL football star Reggie Bush is no different.  A 2005 Heisman Trophy winner, he and teammate Matt Leinart were the first pair of Heisman Trophy winners to play together in a Rose Bowl.  In February of 2010, he led the New Orleans Saints to their first NFC championship, their first Super Bowl appearance, and their first Super Bowl Championship.  This month, he will make history again by becoming the first player in the 75-year history of the Heisman Trust to have the trophy stripped away from him.  How’s that for a first?

Reggie Bush became a household name as a player on University of Southern California’s football team. He was a running back, wide receiver, and punt returner.  Fast and flexible, a teammate named him “Gumby,” for his unbelievable flexibility.  He helped lead USC to the 2005 Orange Bowl Championship, breaking records at USC and in the NCAA. He left USC one year shy of graduation to enter the 2006 NFL Draft.  Surprisingly, he wasn’t the number one draft pick – he was number two; but unsurprisingly, he announced his first endorsement deal (with adidas) days before the Draft, the first of what now totals $5 million annually, including deals with Pepsi, Subway, and General Motors.  (Bush is second only to Peyton Manning in endorsement deals for a NFL player.)

With a championship ring to bling on his finger, a hottie celeb girl to flaunt on his arm, and millions more coming, this should have been Reggie Bush’s year to smile, sit pretty, and enjoy the fruit of years of hard labor.  But instead of enjoying this championship year, he has been sitting in hearings and meetings, answering questions about his time at USC:  “Did you receive gifts from sports agents while a student?”  “Did your mom receive presents from sports agents while you were a student?”

Bush has remained quiet, but the Heisman Trust has vocalized its opposition to what it says was illegal activity on the part of the Bush family.  Its voice has been loud and oh so clear: 

• USC was forced to vacate its last wins of the 2004 season (including the 2005 Orange Bowl), plus all of its 2005 season wins
• USC was banned from all bowl games in 2010 & 2011
• USC will lose 30 athletic scholarships throughout the next three years
• USC must disassociate itself from Bush, permanently, meaning that to USC, it will be like he never existed.
• USC must give back the Heisman Trophy that Bush won

Now, that must hurt—to see three years of your hard work, sweat and pain disappear, over night—to be told that what you dreamed about as a boy and worked together with your teammates to accomplish is gone, with one decision.  It must be painful to have the school that you essentially gave your life to for three years publicly disown you, forever. 

Or… maybe not so much.  For Bush, maybe it was never about love for USC, or love for his teammates, or love for the game.  Maybe it was all for the love of money.

Money was what motivated him, after all, to break NCAA rules and accept presents and monetary gifts from sports agents, including a limousine ride to the 2005 Heisman Trophy ceremony.  And money was what motivated him to leave USC one year early to enter the NFL Draft.  And wasn’t money what enticed him to endorse adidas, Pepsi, Subway, and GM?

Now it’s irony that lifts its head, shaking in disapproval, because it’s allegations that Bush and his family failed to repay money to sports agents that gave the NCAA the information that it needed to catch Bush.  If Bush had paid these agents the money that he had promised to repay them, they most likely wouldn’t have helped the NCAA in its investigation.  But if Bush hadn’t taken the money to begin with, then there couldn’t have been an investigation because there wouldn’t have been any wrongdoing.

Bush valued his own immediate wants over those of his teammates, his college’s, and his own long-term goals.  Now, he’s lost what he built with his teammates (along with their trust and friendship), his legacy at USC, and the respect of countless fans.  Plus, he’s lost millions in endorsements that companies would have given him if he didn’t have a history of dishonesty and selfishness.

I hope that all of this has caused Bush to take a look at his past to create a better roadmap for his future.  (Doesn’t that sound like a political campaign ad?)  If so, he can accomplish another first—he can be the first professional athlete of late to realize that character does indeed count.  

4 More Ways To Make Sure You DON'T Snag A New Job

9.7% of Americans are unemployed, according to Trading Economics. And anecdotal evidence suggests that the percentage is higher because many people, convinced that they won’t find a job, have just stopped looking.

If you’re unemployed, partially employed, or hoping to switch gigs, here are a few tips that I used that helped me land my new gig.

4 Ways To Make Sure You DON'T Snag A New Job:

4.  Prioritize something else. 

Unless you’re either a millionaire or have oodles and oodles of money in your reserves, finding a job should be your number one priority.  Many people, who thought that they would be able to secure a job within a month or two, have yet to find jobs, and they were let go of in 2009.  Rejuvenation is good, taking time to figure out what you want to do next is great, and reconnecting with family and friends is invaluable, but don’t forget to make getting a job your top commitment.

3.  Blend in.

Like everyone else, send in a bland cover letter, citing three reasons why you are the perfect candidate, and close it with a request for an interview—not!  Find a way to set yourself apart from other candidates.  Some ideas include: starting the cover letter by saying,” You should hire me.  Really.” and then spend the rest of the letter saying why.  Or, begin with a story that sheds light on your character, background, or experience.  Some folks are even creating their own websites, while others are shooting and sending video résumés.  I created a one-sheet for a job interview I had a while back.  I used two columns to compare what the company was looking for, to my qualifications.  Bullet point by bullet point I showed how my experience matched up to their requirements.  I included the company's logo on one side, and my picture on the other. It was concise and clean. It must have worked, cause I landed the job the following week.

Do something—anything—that sets you apart from the rest.

2.  Do What You’ve Always Done.

If what you’ve always done isn’t getting you the results you want, then maybe you should try something different.  If you’ve always just had one résumé, have you thought about having two to three different résumés? One of my friends has three résumés: marketing, administrative, and gaming.  Each résumé focuses on a different job sector and highlights skills and experiences most relevant to that sector.

Have you always just gone online to find jobs? If so, maybe you should ask family members and friends.  Is networking how you primarily secure jobs? If yes, there could be a cool job waiting for you online, or maybe even in the classifieds.

1.     Just Do The Basics.

When you get called in for the interview, don’t just read the company’s website.  Study it. Memorize parts.  And then, think about how you would fit in with the company.  How do its values and mission connect to yours?   Be prepared to talk about this during your interview, and I guarantee you that you will wow them!

Top 5 Ways To NOT Find A Job

A few months ago, I landed an awesome new job to supplement my freelance work. Here are some tips that I learned during my search.

The Top 5 Ways to NOT Find a Job

5. Keep your same résumé. Don’t revise it and don’t get help revising it.

Most résumés can almost always be improved. Do you need more active verbs? Do you need to include results? Has terminology in your field changed? A tune-up in your résumé can lead to an increase in your calls for interviews. Have a trusted friend, maybe one who works in H.R., give you some feedback. Or, do a Google search. There’s lot of information online.

4. Look most days, not every day, and only once a day.

You should be looking for a job everyday, or at least every workday, multiple times a day. You should search at 8am, 9am, 10 am and at the end of the day, especially on Mondays and Fridays, when employers are more apt to post.

Now, I do realize that it can get discouraging to look day after day, and even hour after hour, with little or no results. However, you can’t catch a salmon if you ain’t fishin. Start your day with your job search, spend the afternoon doing other things (cleaning, exercising), and then come back to it before 5pm.

3. Be embarrassed that you’re looking for a job and don’t tell your family and friends that you’re searching.

A year ago, one of my friends, John, emailed me and everyone else he knew asking for leads about job openings. His wife said that it was humbling for him to admit to everyone that he was unemployed, but it paid off. One person, whom he had met years before, wrote a one page glowing recommendation for John to his boss. His boss was so impressed with the letter that he hired John, even though the company didn’t have any job openings at the time. John has been there for more than a year, and he recently got a promotion.

2. Stay home. Don’t network.

People are more likely to do business with people they’ve met before. You should be networking at events in your field, your prospective field, and at local chamber of commerce events. You could even network at sports bars. Talk about the Lakers, make some friends, and pass out your business cards. Get creative, and get out there! My former pastor used to say that if you’re unemployed, then you should keep your résumés in your car cause you never know whom you’re gonna meet.

Finally, the top way to not get a job is to:

1. Believe that you wont' find one.

Actions follow beliefs. So, if you’ve given up hope that you will find a job, then you probably won’t. You won’t because you’ll stop looking, or you’ll look halfheartedly and inconsistently. And in this market, that just won’t cut it.

If you’ve been searching for months (or years) with no interviews, a few interviews, or several, but no job offers, you could be tempted to believe that this is how it’ll be until the recession is over. You might be tempted to believe that there just aren’t enough jobs out there—that there are too many lay-offs, no new jobs, and too many job seekers. And while there are obstacles--more obstacles than there have been in recent years--employers are hiring every day. Hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs are posted just on Los Angeles’ Craiglist every day. And there’s Monster, Hot Jobs, Cal Jobs, Job Central, and many more agencies publicizing job openings.

So don’t be discouraged. There is hope. One of my good friends got a new part-time job (to add to her other part-time job) last week. She lost her job last year, and is doing whatever it takes to make it financially. If you’re feeling discouraged, take a moment to pray, meditate, or do something that reminds you that there is reason to hope.

Next week, I’ll share some of the things that I did to land my fabulous new job. Stay tuned!

6 Lessons Being Broke Taught Me

I never cared much for money or material things, hence my contentment with years of employment in the non-profit sector. I’ve been fine to buy most of my clothes on sale at Macy’s, T.J.Maxx, and ROSS. (I’ve purchased dresses for $0.99 before.) But now that I have a “respectable” income and way more money than expenses, I find myself missing the good ‘ole days of being broke.

(Now let me qualify the word “broke” here. This isn’t the kind of broke where you can’t go on vacation where you typically go due to a shortage of funds. And this isn’t the kind of broke where you can’t get your nails done every week cause you’re cutting back.)

This is the kind or of broke where you debate if you can afford to spend a dollar at Del Taco cause your stomach is barkin at you, but you don’t typically eat at Del Taco because who knows if that’s really meat in those tacos. This is the kind of broke where you don’t drive anywhere (outside of work) because your gas has to last you until…  This is the kind of broke where your friends only invite you out if they’re footin the bill because everybody close to you knows that you ain’t got no money.

So, here’s what being broke taught me:

1. Getting more usually leads to wanting more.

Once you get one more pair of jeans or another pair of shoes, you just want another one—this one in a different fabric, or cut, or color. Desire breeds desire, and contentment is a shunned enemy.

2. Sometimes, you have to make tough choices.

Which is worse: Going an additional $15 into debt because you are too proud to tell someone that you don’t have the money to go out with them for lunch or risking embarrassment by being honest and potentially being treated to a good meal?

3. Just how important money is.

It isn’t everything, but everything you want to do involves it. Making it (or having access to it) is paramount. I no longer have any idealistic, youthful notions about money. In fact, I respect it a lot more now, as I do the good book’s advice: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”

4. Although it’s rare to get something for nothing, bartering is a beautiful, underutilized practice.

For more than a year, I managed to get free pictures in exchange for posing for free. I traded my smile for photos. Check out my website (www.yougochante.com) to see the results!

5. Having less leads to greater appreciation for what you do have.

One of my favorite activities is finding a quiet nook at Starbucks or a local bookstore and reading or writing leisurely for hours, a cup of hot cocoa in hand. At the zenith of my broke days, however, I might be able to afford one excursion every four to six weeks. But when I did, I savored the experience. I walked into Starbucks, a smile on my face, and thanked God for the opportunity to be able to purchase a drink, and not be one of the coffeehouse “moochers” who plugged in without purchasing a single item. I would read my book, knees tucked into my chest, and feel true gratefulness. I wasn’t thinking about all the times that I couldn’t purchase a drink. I was thankful for the one that I was having in that moment.

6. I want to live a life of continual gratefulness, even though I’m not broke any more.

Right now, I sit in my living room as I write. I was going to drive to Borders, but I didn’t want to spend three dollars on a drink. (I don’t think my frugal ways will ever leave me.) So instead I write snuggled up in a sleeping bag on my couch, grateful that I have a quiet, cozy place from which I can work. In fact, I’m grateful just to have a couch and a home.

What has being broke taught you?