Can I afford to make this move?''

By: Cathy Goodwin - [other]
You're ready to make a big move. Relocate. Start a new business. Change careers. But you're wondering...

How long can you live before you lose your house or go on welfare? Can you afford the cost of living in Los Angeles or Boston? Can you find a job in one of those charming low-cost, low-employment towns?

Counting your money is a good beginning. When starting a business, you're often advised to have enough cash to live for two years plus ten thousand dollars (or more) for expenses.

However, you may have other resources that allow you to stretch your funds.

When I lived in Alaska, a colleague who needed flight time for his next rating was always looking for passengers to share the cost, in return for some spectacular flight-seeing. We were required to carry a survival pack.

We took a small amount of food, but more important were the items that would allow us to stay alive longer if we were forced down on an icy mountain, even if we ran out of food. We had matches, blankets, and even a gun for shooting game.

Fortunately, my friend's hundred or so flying hours got us through some shaky mountain passages and we never had to figure out how to load the gun, much less shoot it. So I'm here to suggest that you apply the same reasoning when you pack a survival kit for your transition flight.

What resources do you have besides money?

Do you have survival-type job skills? Can you clean houses? Paint? Do handyman chores? Care for lawns? If so, you can live anywhere and survive.

I once talked to a cab driver who survived a recession more successfully than many of his executive passengers: he fixed cars in the street and cooked pizzas for a walk-in fast food place.

Do you have a strong network and the skills to use it effectively? I am convinced that power networking is a better predictor of career success than any skills, credentials or degrees.

Do you have supportive family and friends? You'll be equipped to handle rough spots along the way and you're far more likely to maintain your perspective when you encounter rejection or failure.

You're probably getting the idea. How can you leverage the resources you have? How can you count your treasures a new way -- so you can estimate not wealth but ability to triumph through transition.

And I suspect your survival kit holds a lot more than you realize.

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career coach, working with midcareer professionals ready to make their next move.

Fr*e weekly ezine: "Your Next Move" filled with tips to raise your DQ: Decision Quotient. http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.html . Website: http://www.cathygoodwin.com. Phone: 505-534-4194 Email: cathy@c...

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