Are You Working Harder for Less Money?
Are you working harder for less money? You're not alone:
"Wages in American households dwindled by 8.1 percent versus 2007, the year before the deepest recession since the Great Depression officially began. Income was 8.9 percent lower than it was in 1999." (Read more by clicking HERE...)
The fact is, working harder and making less is a symptom of the times. Our economy continues to wallow in the doldrums caused by the biggest economic and financial crisis of our lifetimes. Indeed, unemployment remains high as does what's known as "underemployment."
Unemployment is actually higher than the 8.1% that the government claims. That's because the government statistics don't count those who they deem to have "given up" looking for work. As for "underemployment," that's where people work less hours, or word at an occupation that pays them a lot less than they were previously making.
With all that going on, and many businesses having trouble making profits, employers prefer getting the most out of the workers they have and the new workers they hire. So if you just got a job, you may be making less than you thought you would, and you may be having to work longer hours than you'd like. As for those of us continuing to work at our current jobs, we may be facing pressure to produce more for less money.
There are two ways you can produce more for less money: 1) Take less money for the same work; 2) Work longer hours for the same money.
I bring all this up for two reasons. First, if you're working harder for less money, you're not alone (if you didn't already realize this). Second, and more importantly, I want to encourage you to guard your soul so that you don't slip into being resentful or envious of others.
It's easy to resent the fact that you have to work harder for less money. There are lots of targets people typically find for resentment: the boss, the government, Wall Street bankers, "society"...resentment will always find a target.
As for envy, that's easy too. You can resent those who don't seem to have to work harder for less money, for starters. You can expand that to "the rich," "the powerful," those who have the "right connections."
The point is that none of this is healthy for your soul. Having experienced some of this first hand, I can tell you that you'll be a lot better off if you double-up on your prayer life, spend a few more minutes in meditation, frequent the sacrament more often, especially Penance and Holy Communion, pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and unload all your thoughts while you talk to Jesus, or any of the other myriad ways our Catholic Faith provides us to protect our souls from all the temptations the devil throws our way. And resentment and envy are definitely temptations he's using particularly aggressively these days.
So don't let the devil drag you down. Keep your chin up. Get good rest and keep yourself as healthy as you can by eating well and exercising. Times won't stay this bad forever.
I know, it's easy to say. But, as I already indicated, I know what I'm talking about.
God bless you.
"Wages in American households dwindled by 8.1 percent versus 2007, the year before the deepest recession since the Great Depression officially began. Income was 8.9 percent lower than it was in 1999." (Read more by clicking HERE...)
The fact is, working harder and making less is a symptom of the times. Our economy continues to wallow in the doldrums caused by the biggest economic and financial crisis of our lifetimes. Indeed, unemployment remains high as does what's known as "underemployment."
Unemployment is actually higher than the 8.1% that the government claims. That's because the government statistics don't count those who they deem to have "given up" looking for work. As for "underemployment," that's where people work less hours, or word at an occupation that pays them a lot less than they were previously making.
With all that going on, and many businesses having trouble making profits, employers prefer getting the most out of the workers they have and the new workers they hire. So if you just got a job, you may be making less than you thought you would, and you may be having to work longer hours than you'd like. As for those of us continuing to work at our current jobs, we may be facing pressure to produce more for less money.
There are two ways you can produce more for less money: 1) Take less money for the same work; 2) Work longer hours for the same money.
I bring all this up for two reasons. First, if you're working harder for less money, you're not alone (if you didn't already realize this). Second, and more importantly, I want to encourage you to guard your soul so that you don't slip into being resentful or envious of others.
It's easy to resent the fact that you have to work harder for less money. There are lots of targets people typically find for resentment: the boss, the government, Wall Street bankers, "society"...resentment will always find a target.
As for envy, that's easy too. You can resent those who don't seem to have to work harder for less money, for starters. You can expand that to "the rich," "the powerful," those who have the "right connections."
The point is that none of this is healthy for your soul. Having experienced some of this first hand, I can tell you that you'll be a lot better off if you double-up on your prayer life, spend a few more minutes in meditation, frequent the sacrament more often, especially Penance and Holy Communion, pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and unload all your thoughts while you talk to Jesus, or any of the other myriad ways our Catholic Faith provides us to protect our souls from all the temptations the devil throws our way. And resentment and envy are definitely temptations he's using particularly aggressively these days.
So don't let the devil drag you down. Keep your chin up. Get good rest and keep yourself as healthy as you can by eating well and exercising. Times won't stay this bad forever.
I know, it's easy to say. But, as I already indicated, I know what I'm talking about.
God bless you.
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