What to do when made Redundant, devastated by COVID, lost a loved one, or facing a Debt-Crisis?

First, Let It Sink In….

  • Take a few Steps backwards and Reflect – If it means distantiating yourself from the reality for a day or two, then just do it!
  • Don’t allow yourself to slide into Emotional Turmoil – Avoid saturating your being with Emotional Fear, because what you fear, you focus on and unfortunately it grows beyond measure and will eventually consume you whether it’s good or bad, so take heed.
  • Start a regimental Routine of Daily Gratitude – OK, so you think it won’t change the situation? Actually it will and it will change you too, especially the perception of the dire situation that jumped into your mind, when you were made redundant, correct?
  • Keep Calm – Learn to master the Art of Meditation to release any resistance that can pile up in your being and that will start building walls that you don’t need right now!
  • Focus and gain Clarity – Don’t allow anything or anyone to destroy your peace at any given time during this process.
  • How do you recreate your life? – I will tell you, with your Thoughts, Words and Actions, so start being very aware of this, as it has the most powerful outcomes and can be devastating when you find yourself in a dark hole.
  • Activate your Plan – Review your current financial situation, your current liabilities and how you can downsize your current lifestyle to accommodate the next 6months of expenses that must be met.
  • Opinions are irrelevant – Forget about the people and what they will say, as you are the only one who pays your bills, don’t ever forget that!
  • Approach your Creditors – As early as possible and try to negotiate to reduce your monthly payments at least for the next 12months, affording you the opportunity to not only maintain your payments, but also to stay in a ‘Safe Zone’.
  • Do your calculations carefully – If you must, then consult with expert Debt Remedial Specialists, who will tender the best experienced advice and it could save you years of aches and pains, as they do this work daily, so they can project the possibilities for your situation.
  • Now focus on your Resume – Check if it is updated, check your Social Media Profiles and commit to the time to apply the relevant amendments, so you remain marketable and can confidently apply for new opportunities. During this time you tend to forget about all of your experience, what value you can contribute, because you are only focused on the very bad reality, which, if you change your attitude, it can change in less than 24 hours, but as humans, we never have the ability to comprehend this very important aspect of the Law of Life.
  • Once you are ready – Earmark the companies you are interested to join and start approaching them, calling, sending your resume and don’t give up!
  • Review your Options – If you want to venture into a new business and you not only have the experience and acumen, but saved investment funding, then realize maybe one door closed so that the other can open and you can actualize your future dreams! You don’t know that until you try and risks are a part of building our dreams!
  • Convene a Family Meeting – It is important that all immediate family or your household understands what the current situation is, so that you secure everyone’s undue support and continued love and encouragement. During these times, the support factor is key, because if you are alone it can be tough, but then the only band aid to apply is continuous emergence into self-love, because don’t imagine you will get it from anyone else, because most of the time, when the bucket falls out, you stand alone, so inner strength and faith is key, no matter who you are…
  • Gratitude…Gratitude…Gratitude...Is going to be the Golden Key to change your world, don’t believe me, try it for yourself, it’s how I live my life. Start a new routine of Daily Gratitude, get a Journal, write down what you are Grateful for and what you want, hold that vision and believe in what you desire, because when you do, it will have no option but to show up for you!
  • Mastery – When you can Master all key components of your life, you have won the battles, sometimes before they begin and find yourself years ahead of anyone else, if you follow these steps.

The Change we seek in our lives, we can find from within ourselves, playing the ‘blaming game’ until our souls and spirits are dead, is the wrong move and will consume you before you even know it! Blame yourself for not accumulating the much reminded of ‘nest egg’ for the inevitable, because we never assume it will happen to us. So taking ownership and responsibility is the first step, embracing that and then moving forward with a new vision, is what will transform you and your situation.

People facing any critical situation, not necessarily debt, it could be the sudden loss of a loved one, a terminal illness, any form of what we consider as ‘Bad News’, the key is not to focus on it, direct your future vision to a more positive path and go with the flow. Nobody said don’t grieve for any loved one who passed, or for a bad situation you find yourself in, because grieving is an essential part of healing, so give yourself the time to heal, because nothing great, spectacular or authentic was derived from any form of negative space.

People ask, ‘How do you get?’ and the sure answer is ‘By Giving more Value than you get, not necessarily monetary’…that is the only Secret…

Corona has changed the World, how are UAE Debtors and Communities affected?

The past 3 months has been a sobering experience, not only to have seen so many change controls being enforced for the safety of everyone, but also that people actually conformed to those Regulations, in spite of the uncertainty and also knowing that the outcome could have a dire impact on their income for those employed and revenue stream, for the self-employed, affecting their livelihood and those of their families.

Not to mention large Organizations where initially everyone had to adopt the ‘Work from Home’ Policy at short notice, where this one key unexpected change hit home for everyone, but it made us flip into survival mode indicating that as humans we have that inbred adaptable instinct that we really are susceptible to quick changes, that we all possess immense inner strength to adapt at short notice and that instinctively, we knew how to apply our coping methods, flexibility, collaboration and team effort capabilities, it’s like we all simply transitioned on ‘Auto’, which an amazing feat to witness.

We simply made it work, adjusted in an instance, emerged ourselves into the latest trends of communication, online video conferencing, team projects and respective assigned roles, responsibilities and tasks, online weekly team meetings, online client meetings and many more to ensure a seamless process to complete our tasks and achieve our goals and objectives, which was fantastically amazing to witness!

I don’t think anyone stopped to review…

  • What just happened?
  • How did we just co-ordinate so fast with the ability to reel in teams to facilitate seamless productivity and performance?
  • How did we suddenly become so disciplined working from home?
  • How did we suddenly embrace independent responsibility?
  • How did we suddenly show more commitment than when we were working from the office?
  • Where did we acquire the drive and determination to keep the wheels turning?
  • How did we suddenly become so resourceful, supportive, innovative, creative and all those traits we wished we had, when we were seated in our old comfort zones at the office?
  • Most of all we then embraced the new normal!

This was all human intervention at its best, but on the flip-side we have also witnessed those who lost their jobs, placed on unpaid leave, had salary reductions applied and again, we witnessed comradeship and support of those more fortunate, successful collaborating to ensure that food parcels were available for those suffering shortages, moral support was extended, free advice, borrowing of items needed for those who could not afford to purchase new, employment groups created where the newly unemployed could upload their resume’s and be afforded the opportunity to secure a new job, as I have seen Human Resource Managers and the likes all join in on social media groups to continue the support and the list continues…

So where does that leave those who have Bank and other liabilities, who either are directly affected at this time due to salary reductions or unpaid leave and then those who have been afforded time and who accepted a termination in a few months, as there are all forms of situations people are facing right now, that could inflict mental health issues and other emotional states of mind.

Before you get yourself into a knot, create your Debt Schedule with the most accurate up to date commercials, review your EMI’s at this stage and what the most suitable reduced EMI’s should be, to enable you to maintain your payment plans, with ease, until you are able to recover completely, by either waiting to return to work, or securing a new job with a higher or the same salary you were earning before. But the point is, get planning, create self-awareness and be prepared, don’t wait for the last minute, because by then you would have piled up so much anxiety, pressure and resistance, that whatever you try to do, will not work, because of your emotional state of mind.

Everyone knows that this pandemic has direly affected Business Operations and so there is a large degree of empathy and compassion, where new Regulations was announced i.e.

  • a. EMI deferments for your Bank liabilities from specific banking groups – Could be 2 or 3months, so if you are regular, approach your Creditor and request consideration to approve your request, you won’t know if you don’t ask, so don’t hesitate.
  • b. New Settlement Plans or Restructures with a reduced EMI – So you can maintain a satisfactory DBR, preferably not more than 50% of your newly reduced salary or even less, if you are on unpaid leave or similar. Remember, you are not refusing to repay your debt, you are only requiring a concession to help you cope and maintain your payments, whilst still being able to sustain yourself and your family.
  • c. Preparation of all your legal documentation required – Before you present your request to your Creditor, i.e. Termination Letter/Salary Reduction Letter/Unpaid Leave Letter, copy of your Passport, Emirates ID and Visa, preferably also a 3m Bank statement of your salary account – keep those on hand when you meet with your Bank Creditor, as you will need them.
  • e. Know your Financial Status accurately – There is no room for mistakes when you meet with your Creditor, as they are more experienced than what you are, so they may pose surprising questions, request out of the norm documentation to verify your request, as they have Due Diligence to apply to authenticate your situation and verify your story. So be mentally prepared when you meet with them, have everything on hand and project confidence and positivity, see your request approved and that’s the only work you need to do, because what you put in, you get out, simple logic!

Right now, eliminate any negative mindset you may have because of this ongoing situation, as you must gain clarity to know what you want and take action to secure and achieve, because we still have a long way to go, without having to instill fear from within. So, you need to operate with complete confidence, clarity and positivity to maintain the positive wheels turning for you and create a ricochet, that will be passed onto everyone who comes into contact with you.

Most of all, extend as much kindness, care, support and empathy as to can to your fellow human being, act with humility and serve well, so you can continue to create value in your space, which will have a huge positive impact on your life and progress. There is no time like right now to impose your good will and humanity to everyone who comes into contact with you, because there is no room for any form of negativity, being mean, unkind, hurtful and not supporting others, because we don’t know how the wheels can change for us, if we insist on planting bad seed.

SME’s and Company Owners, you can recover and thrive…

As a business owner and entrepreneur for more than 2 decades, I know what it’s like to face troubling times in business, with facing financial crisis, or just trying to revive your existing business to make the wheels turn again, focus on existing liabilities, trying to sustain yourself and your family and then still showing a good face every single day.

Hence for that very reason, I continue to reach out to help individuals change their lives and it’s a gift, or a calling which I have embraced. So weekly I try to come up with different forms of inspiration, which is meant for you to view your debt-crisis situation from a variation of perspectives, so you can exactly pin-point:

1. Where did I go wrong?

2. How bad is my true situation?

3. Have I taken enough action to remedy this situation?

4. If you have, do you need more help and where to go? Have I short-listed possible new actions that I can take, or are am I simply vegetating hoping it will fall from the sky? Nothing moves until you do, a miracle will not drop from the sky if you are sitting around day and night, complaining, hiding away from creditors and beating the old story, which is already dead!

5. Have I reviewed your current business enough? Even if downsized now, surely there are possibilities to create new revenue funnels, or did you try to emerge yourself into available online information on how to master the art of Game-Changing?

6. What am I prepared to sacrifice to turn your situation around?

7. Do I need to secure the advice of an experienced Coach/Mentor, to enlighten me how to take alternative action and what my new options can be?

It’s not easy, but reality is that you created this situation, so by the same token you can become ‘unstuck’ and be on your way to creating abundance and prosperity for yourself again and you might say ‘it’s easy for you to say!’ and I know, but when you have walked the talk, then it’s realism, I have been there, so I know that the advice tendered is real.

The golden nugget when facing a debt crisis is ask yourself: ‘How can I create new abundance, prosperity and wealth for myself, because I believe I have the ability to overcome and achieve the success I set out to achieve?’ When you read this phrase it’s completely a total contrast to the story you have been beating to death for months or a few years. The tone sounds lighter, it makes you feel better, like there is hope, some new path available for you to persue. So why aren’t you pursuing it? Go for what you want, forget about the old story, because it’s not serving you, just deepening the hole you’re already in!

The keys are and I have repeated myself so many times over the past almost decade, writing on this subject and sharing my views, including tendering my advice, because I know that when you read this over and over again, it will resonate with you, because you are guilty of not taking concrete action to correct your situation and transform your life.

Most of you will say it’s impossible, let me share with you that there is no such word, when you say it’s impossible, then you are imposing limiting beliefs on yourself, so you will continue to remain stuck, negative situations will continue to present itself, and it’s not as you all think ‘Law of Attraction’, absolutely not, because something was left out and that very key is ‘Unconscious Competence’.

It takes approximately 21 days to establish a new belief, pattern or behavior, which means to ingrain new positive habits into your subconscious, because that is the ‘recorder of your life beliefs, patterns an habits’, you must do and repeat it over and over again, resulting in ‘unconscious competence’, like brushing your teeth every morning, or driving your car and arriving at your destination, only to find you don’t know how you got there!’, because it’s habit.

To progress, you must have a definite plan and purpose to derive at your final destination, so here are key tips for today.

1. Create a new plan, even if your debt has already been restructured, do your best at a new plan and ensure it makes logical sense;

2. Record all information, commercials, current outstanding dues and balances, cheques that have bounced, next EMI’s due, any information that will help you see a new picture, because most times people facing a debt-crisis turn a blind eye to the truth, as it makes them feel better, but for sure it does not make the problem go away.

3. Go back to your creditors, present your new plan, ask with much emotion for help, plead to the human side of them, because they are and many have huge empathy, just sometimes debtors approaches to creditors are entitled, arrogant, demanding and disrespectful, so leave those habits at home, as it will not serve you.

4. Take copies of all your legal documents with you, so you have everything readily available.

5. Most of all, start believing in your ability to overcome, you must burn yourself into a hot sweat of unraveled determination to set your financial situation right, believe in your plan and do not let anything move your focus from what you wish to achieve.

You might say ‘You’re joking, right?’ No, I am not joking because ‘What the human mind believes, it can conceive…’ and another great inspiration is ‘I will not stop, because men say no…’

Too often, we stop because men say no, we get despondent, we feel like our world is falling apart and we feel hopeless and useless to move an inch. Let me ask you today, don’t find yourself in this position stopped in your tracks because someone else’s realistic response to your determined plan, is negative. Never give up, keep on keeping on because the tunnel never stays dark, light overcomes darkness any day of the week.

You’re important to you, people don’t become useless because they’ve made a mistake to accumulate debt, it’s a lesson, where hopefully, once you got out of it, you would have learnt invaluable nuggets, setting precedent for your next new journey!

I’m still not convinced, because there’s little action…

For me, it’s soul destroying when I know that there are thousands of you facing a personal or business debt-crisis, but you’re just not mentally ready to act and find your peace.

My calling is to help you out of the destructive, soul destroying debt situation you have been facing for a very long time, where your attention is diverted to so many directions, except the right one, facing your own dire situation, coming to terms with it and finding the right solution for you.

People like me do something for so long, then they stop, because finally, who is appreciating the reach and doing something about the invaluable advice they tender most times? It’s a grave concern that you are out there, accepting your suffering, humiliation, degradation and the many emotional situations you face in a day, week, or month of the year.

So, there will come a day that I will close my door on this platform and divert my attention to where it is valued and appreciated, and that day is very soon. Therefore, today, my questions to you are listed below and my request is to email me your responses, because maybe I missed something, or I just don’t understand, when in fact I had mentioned numerous times that I have walked the talk, so there is very little you can convince me about.

Most of the time this job is thankless, because debtors whose problems are resolved and they are happy about the outcome, normally walk back into the sunshine with not much gratitude, as they don’t have a dire critical need anymore, so they forget that closing doors is the worst mistake they can make in their lives, but, it always comes back, so here are my questions for today:

1. What makes you not act to resolve your debt crisis?

2. Who are you listening to?

3. How has that turned out for you?

4. If you’re hiding, why do you think there is no solution for you, besides no longer having an income to serve that debt you must repay?

5. What is the worst mental state you are in or have experienced that makes you sit on the sidelines and watch the world pass, whilst you do nothing and allow despair to consume your being?

6. What is your real hope of saving yourself and getting out of this debt situation?

7. Where do you see yourself 1year from now?

8. What are your future plans?

9. Do you have goals and dreams, or do you just continue to exist?

10. Are you prepared to make more sacrifices and ground-breaking commitments to get out of debt?

11. If your answer was ‘yes’ above, then why have you not acted yet?

12. How can I help you to overcome this situation?

13. Do you think you know everything? The system of debt? The shortcuts? The best solution and exactly where you were a few months ago, or a year? Then why have you not followed your own advice?

14. Are you teachable and willing to learn new tools and techniques to help you?

15. Do you blame your situation on bad luck, your upbringing, creditors are not understanding? Nobody wants to help you? It’s a useless situation?

16. Are you a company owner and if you have lost, do you really think you are doomed right now with no hope to recreate your losses? If so, why?

17. What can I do to make you act? Humour me, because there is very little that will convince me at this stage?

18. If you’re a follower of my articles, then are you prepared to never read them again? If so, why?

19. Dire debt normally emotionally dehumanizes an individual in many aspects of their being, so what are the changes you wish to see in yourself in the future?

The outcome of these questions, normally drives an individual facing a debt crisis to search from within and that is the intention, because the mindset right now has lost the capability of probing and deriving at core truths and so it is my wish that the answers you give yourself, are onus to you, that you connect with them emotionally, because the key of the answers, is to direct your thoughts to upliftment, regaining some form of hope and positivity, which normally results in inspiration setting in, even minimal, but it fosters transformation and my request to you is to journal these answers, read them many times over and then take the needful actions you feel from within.

Helping someone in debt to take one step forward is the most difficult task, long before you get to convince them of the solution for their situation and most of the time, nobody has asked you all of these questions, so I hope it helped you today.

Barack Obama once quoted:

“CHANGE WILL NOT COME IF WE WAIT FOR SOME OTHER PERSON, OR OTHER TIME.

WE ARE THE ONE’S WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR, WE ARE THE CHANGE THAT WE SEEK…”