Financial stability is something every adult should dream of, no? I mean, who in their right mind would not want to be financially stable? Rent/mortgage payment? Covered. Groceries? Got that. Car payment, insurance, and everything that goes with it? Check. Clothes? Done. A little money left over for the occasional impulse buy? Yes, please!
Unfortunately, in my line of work, a large fraction of people for whom I find jobs do not consider themselves 'financially stable.' Do I know the specifics of their financial situation? No. Based on the (often emotional) interaction surrounding their pay checks, though, I can make an educated guess.
And yet.
I recently ended a guy at his assignment because he was having difficulty showing up on time...or, frankly, at all. When I called to let him know his assignment was ended, the response that I got was, "That's ok."
Umm, what? How is that “ok”? If I received a call out of the blue that said I was no longer employed at my current job, I would be freaking out. Bills would scroll across the ticker tape in my brain in an endless loop. The idea of moving in with my mother would run on repeat like a horror story. Granted, a person with average intelligence would understand that the reason they got fired was because they didn't show up for work, so it shouldn't come as a complete surprise. But still. “That's ok”?!?
Was this man so financially stable that it did not concern him one iota that he no longer had a weekly income? Good Lord, I wish I was so secure in my finances that I could have that kind of a (lack of) reaction. I don't make a bad wage by any means, but I’m not going to pretend to cast off the end of a job as though it meant nothing.
Based on what I knew of this particular contractor, I would draw the conclusion that he was, in fact, not financially secure, which is why his reaction blew my mind.
If I ever get to a point when my finances were in a place where I could say ‘that’s ok’ if my job were to suddenly end...well, I would like to say I’d die happy, but that’s not true. I would, however, rather enjoy living the rest of my life without worrying about money.
That would be the life, wouldn't it?
In the meantime, I hear that the Powerball is over a billion dollars. Anyone have two dollars they can loan me?
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