Ed. note: Welcome to the first installment of a new five part series, Living With the Recession by author and executive consultant Granville Toogood, who also happens to be my uncle as well. For more information on Granville, visit his website [here].

Build It and They Will Come

When Jack lost his job in November he suddenly found himself feeling depressed and alone in the house–until one day he decided to have over some friends. That led to weekly home meetings of other people out of work, and that in turn led to a new job.

Our 20-something nephew wound up out of work — like most of his friends — and started a networking “club” series of parties in New York for young, unemployed professionals. A handful of months later the  “club” is helping people get new jobs and morphing into a rewarding venture. A TV crew even flew all the way from Australia to interview him.

One friend got his spirits up by forming a group that meets weekly in a coffee shop to talk about the challenges they all face in a brutal job market. Three members of the group came up with a new social media idea. Seed money came from two other members of the same group. Two months later yet another member of the group joined up as the first employee.

A writer friend felt like his batteries were running so low from all the worry and gloom he needed to give himself a jolt. So hetossed recessionary fiscal prudence to the dogs and threw himself a party. He drank a little, laughed a lot, boogied, delighted in stimulating conversation with old friends, and felt so refreshed and rewired the next day that he started new book.

A friend of a friend never imagined that after 28 years with the same company —within shouting distance of retirement and benefits —not only would her job suddenly vanish into thin air, but so would her entire company. She felt used, abused, embittered and victimized – until one day she heard about a volunteer mentoring program for young executives in small companies and everything changed. She signed up as a volunteer and ended up being hired as the company’s CFO in just five months.

I heard a story of a woman who fell into depression after losing lost her high-end marketing job. Not a religious person, she nevertheless found herself back at church after many years absence. She was amazed to discover that just meditating, praying and singing in a room with lots of other people once a week banished the depression and made her feel optimistic. Then she learned about a program for the very needy and signed up. Today she’s not making a penny but she swears she has never been happier.

The point is that if you are depressed or out of work, action is better than inaction. As the ancient proverb says, the stone in front of you is not an obstacle, but a stepping -stone. All lows are the first steps back to highs.

But nothing can happen by remote control. No one will swoop in to help you. You must take action to help yourself.

Build it – build anything – and somehow they will come.