Vlog: Yes, You Can Work With Chronic Health Issues

Hey there!  I'm back after taking Fourth of July week off from vlogging.  Hope everyone celebrating it had a great time.

I've heard lots of people with spina bifida and other chronic health issues say they can't work, don't work because of their health.  This is surprising and discouraging.  I realize that your ability to work depends on the severity of your health problems, but in many cases, as long as you check with your doctor about what you can and cannot do, you should be able to work at some type of job.

Where can you work?

Home

• I've tutored English as a second language
• I had a typing and design business
• I wrote articles for Spina Bifida Association of America's magazine
• Fitness coach
• Life coach

All from home!

Office in town

Temp agency

• I spent about two years working at various businesses as a temp employee

In a coffee shop

• Take your laptop along and work from there.

In the park

At the library

• Take your laptop or Ipad along.  Maybe even reserve conference or meeting room there.

At a community center

• You can reserve a meeting room there to hold a workshop or other type of work-related event

At the kitchen table

• I tutor ESL students at my kitchen table!

On the phone

• Telemarketing
• Scheduling
• Life coaching
• Conducting polls and surveys
• Customer service
• Tech support

What can you do?  (Hint:  Pretty much anything!)

• Writing
• Blogging
• Billing
• Appointment scheduling
• Customer service
• Making crafts to sell on Etsy
• Coaching
• Bookkeeping
• Conducting surveys
• Mystery shopping
• Search engine evaluator
• Researching
• Photo editing 
• Copy editing
• Tutoring
• Mentoring
• See if your current boss will allow you to telecommute instead of traveling to the office every day.
• Virtual assistant
• Personal training/fitness coaching
• Tech support
• Quality control
• Social media manager

For more information, contact the following:

• Your state's vocational rehab agency for help   
• Your local job service or check out their website for job leads
• LinkedIn
• Monster.com
• National Telecommuting Institute (www.ntiathome.org/work-at-home-jobs-disabled.shtm
• LandaJob.org
• My Employment Options (https://www.myemploymentoptions.com
• FlexJobs.com:  https://www.FlexJobs.com/?sub=1037
• Freelancer.com
• Hubpages.com/eHow.com

A cautionary note:

• Look out for scams:  Avoid anything that seems fishy, have your lawyer look over contracts.
• Go with your gut when deciding which organizations you want to work for and jobs you want to do
• Get references before committing to anything
• Be careful when meeting prospective employers, contractors, clients in person.  Choose a public place.  Bring along a trusted friend or colleague to sit nearby in the park, restaurant or another meeting place of your choice just in case there is trouble and you need help.  At least tell someone close to you where you will be meeting this prospective client and when you plan to return.

Are you working?  Are you not?  What are your thoughts on working/not working with chronic health issues?

Vlog: Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence

I got to thinking about self-esteem and self-confidence the other days.  I've heard them used interchangeably but felt as if they weren't quite the same.  I was right.

Self-esteem is:

• how you generally feel about yourself
• how much you like/love yourself
• your overall view of who you are
• influenced by past experiences and the surroundings you were raised in
• influenced by family, school, friends, and community

How can you improve it?

• surround yourself with positive people who believe in you
• look inside and come to terms with your past
• leave unhealthy relationships
• forgive yourself for the mistakes you've made
• be good to yourself (exercise, eat healthfully, get good sleep)
• do things you enjoy (hobbies, sports, interests)
• write down things you like about yourself
• learn something new (take classes, listen to podcasts, etc.)
• do what you love and are good at for work
• realize you are good enough
• stop blaming others for what they have done to you
• stop worrying about what others think
• stop trying to please others
• say no to things you really don't want to do.  Say yes to what makes your heart sing
• stop trying to compete with others.  We all have our strengths and weaknesses.  Concentrate on your goals, no one else's.
• live your life your way without apology

Sef-confidence is:

• how you feel about your abilities
• how you view your capabilities to do things and handle a job or emergency, for example

You may be more confident at skiing than working with computers.  Or, dancing versus math.  Or, driving may not be one of your strengths, but you are an excellent speaker.

How can you improve self-confidence?

• get out of your comfort zone
• try something that scares you a little
• test yourself
• try a new job--maybe volunteer there first to see if you like it
• hang out with positive people who will challenge you in a good way
• boost your independence
• become your own advocate

The more you challenge yourself--step out of your comfort zone--the more you will become comfortable doing these new things and making decisions.  Building self-confidence self-esteem!

How do you building your self-esteem and self-confidence?  Who in your life has helped you do so?