I got a picture text from my wife yesterday showing me the black screen of death on her computer. She didn’t seem too upset, so I knew she had a contingency plan and everything was okie dokie. I preach the mantra of save frequently and back-up often, so I text her back, gave her some reassuring words and continued with my day. I didn’t hear anymore, so I figured “no news is good news”.

That was until I got home. She did manage to bring the beast back to life—briefly. Actually long enough to get a current back-up copy of her files. (Notice how I’ve highlighted current.) Now, although the black screen of death showed up unexpectedly yesterday morning, she knew that her system was running on borrowed time. It had done this once before, about six months ago, and to her, every day that the computer was working was a gift from God. Although she knew the computer was’t quite right, she didn’t have a current back-up of her data.

This incident got me thinking, how often do we put off or wait until the last possible moment to do things that need to be done—especially in a work situation? You can usually read the writing on the wall for down-sizings, RIFs, lay-offs, and firings. How prepared are you if the black screen of death comes to visit you at work? I’d like to pose a few questions to you if you don’t mind:

1. How current is your resume? Your resume should have your most recent information on it. If you don’t have a resume—NOW is the time to get one put together!
2. Do you have a network of people—both professional and personal—that you can turn to for advice and for references?
3. What would your next move be if you were to find yourself out of work?

Consider these three items to be a start to your “back-up” plan. I realize that I’ve over-simplified this a bit—I just wanted to get you thinking; to get you started on your plan. If you need help developing your plan, I’m just a phone call or e-mail away.

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at http://ccubedcareer.com.

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