'Tis the season to be jolly... except if it is 2020, of course. Thanks to the global pandemic, we have all had to navigate through an unprecedented year.  Layoffs/reduced hours at work, business closures, getting used to wearing masks, keeping our distance even from loved ones, lockdowns, curfews, schools going virtual, a bitter presidential campaign, and the list goes on. But many introverts would admit they have at least one thing to celebrate: Finally having a valid excuse not to attend large holiday gatherings. The Christmas party at the office. The noisy family get-together consisting mostly of distant relatives you see only once a year. It isn't so much that introverts hate holiday events; it's that they find the shindigs to drag on a bit too long -- not to mention they walk away feeling energy depleted. You see, heavy social interaction wears an introvert out. If they can't make for the exits early, they stake out the nearest quiet spot where they can refuel -- b...

In an unprecedented year marred by constant tumult -- a raging pandemic, widespread business and school closures/layoffs, a battered economy, racial strife, a bitter election -- it's nice to disconnect from it all and take a moment to give thanks for the people who enrich our lives, even if we may not be able to celebrate the holiday with some of them in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.  I'd like to wish you and yours a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving.  Thanks for giving up some of your time over the course of the week/month to read, share, and comment on my posts. You guys rock, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart.  There's a reason I aim for variety in my choice of content/messaging. It's my hope that the more sobering posts offer comfort and valuable tips to those going through tough times, and that the lighthearted ones -- from silly puns to funny memes -- elicit laughs at a time of great uncertainty.  Our lives may be far from perfect, but we still...

Because of the sweeping layoffs and closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic -- the effects of which were felt as early as March -- the economy is bruised and battered. The question on everyone's mind is, of course, how these turbulent economic conditions may affect them. Here are three things that are likely to remain higher than usual for the foreseeable future: 1. Unemployment. Looking to get a better job? With over 40 million Americans filing for unemployment during the pandemic and the real jobless rate purported to be at a staggering 24%, you might be better waiting out the economic storm. While the number of weekly jobless claims has dropped eight straight weeks since topping out at 6.9 million in April, it still marks 10 consecutive weeks with claims exceeding 2 million. To put this in perspective, before the coronovirus prompted the shutdown of  businesses across the U.S., weekly U.S. unemployment claims had averaged 218,000. Needless to say, those applying ...

These unprecedented economic times are turning normal shopping and saving patterns on their heads. Whether you work in hospitality or healthcare, finance or education, you've surely felt the effects either in your industry or in your personal life. Overall, U.S. retail sales dropped by a record 16.4% from March to April as business shutdowns caused by the coronavirus shellacked stores big and small. Unfortunately, many were already in a precarious state pre-pandemic thanks to stiff competition from Amazon. Nearly $1 of every $5 spent at retailers last month went to non-store retailers, signaling a definite shift toward online shopping. With exception to online, not a single retail category was spared in April. Furniture stores and appliance/electronics stores absorbed whopping losses of 60% or more. Car dealers saw a plunge of 13%. Even clothing retailers have been walloped. Clothing-store sales sagged 79% and department stores 29%. In recent weeks, J.Crew, Neiman Ma...

Is having too many choices good or bad? Some might say it's a good thing, as it allows you to pick what best suits your needs. Others contend it can be a bad thing in that it causes you to second guess your decisions, especially if the alternatives are fairly comparable. We face this type of conundrum on an almost-daily basis. Which job offer should I accept? Which computer should I buy? Which of these two guys should I become exclusive with? About a month or two before graduating from college, I was hitting the pavement hard in hopes of landing a full-time job. (Mind you, this wasn't long before the global recession began.) I went on a flurry of interviews and was offered nearly every position I applied for. I turned down the first two because I thought the salary being offered was a tad low. Besides, I didn't want to run after the first opportunity that came my way; I wished to take a little more time testing the job market waters. Unfortunately, the positio...

Many of us can't help but grumble about our jobs, whether it's the low pay, obnoxious coworkers, or lousy commute. But what we fail to realize is that we can make our jobs much more tolerable if we only made a couple of mental adjustments. Below are two things you can do that will most definitely make your job easier to stomach. 1. Don't depend on the job to fulfill you. While we should like our work enough not to feel miserable doing it day in and day out, we should never think of our jobs as the be-all and end-all. A job will never fulfill you completely; that's what hobbies are for. I know certain jobs can certainly be fulfilling (e.g., charity work), but let's face it: the vast majority of jobs have an ugly side to them. Politics, red tape, layoffs, and other negatives are part and parcel of virtually all organizations. The less pressure you put on a job to fulfill you, the happier you'll be. You can always leave for another opportunity if your current...

December 2007 marked the start of what would become the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. At the height of said recession, the economy was hemorrhaging jobs at an unprecedented rate. Business were shuttering. Layoffs were touching virtually every industry. The situation was bleak, and it seemed like the sky was going to fall down.  Slowly but surely, we've come out of it, and now the worst appears to be behind us. Consumer confidence has rebounded in a big way, with consumers forking over big bucks on everything from dining and entertainment to cars and homes. When I conduct searches on CareerBuilder and Indeed.com, I see twice -- if not three times -- as many listings for jobs in my field as I saw just a few years ago. Unfortunately, though, real wage growth remains non-existent, and there are still far too many people out of work. Some people fear it might be another 5-10 years before the economy is in full swing again. Although things have improved, who...