First of all, I do not believe in the class warfare tactics that are constantly used by others, so I am definitely not going to go there. For most of the last 3 years I have ignored all of the news the best that I could. That is one reason that or company has had such a good growth rate and people want to be around us. We have been too busy to see what is going on in the world and we have been able to focus on our business plan and help our clients with their needs.
Recently, it is hard to ignore the news since it comes at you in ways you did not ask. On TV, bad news is embedded into the commercials now, the recessions is built into radio ads, and the bail out is the talk of the town. With all of the bad new I am hearing my clients have some concern about the economy. Our clients are very high net worth individuals and they just don’t like all of the bad news all of the time also. Do we all have less money now? The neutral news that I am hearing is that 50% will not even have to make lifestyle changes during these times. What??? So that means that 50% are not even hurting the way the bad news is telling us we are? So then, 50% should do the responsible thing and be positive and help the other 50% see the light.
So there is a light.
Yes, there is a light, but do not expect it to come from traditional sources. Do not expect the government to give you an emotional bailout. I think that the light needs to be a movement from the bottom up. There are many different ways to get the light to be seen and there are a number of movements that will contribute to the light.
What is the light?
Hope.
Charitable giving is down to nothing now. Even those who can afford to give are afraid. Personally, I am not motivated by fear so this media scare tactic is not the answer. Look at the key words that have won political races for the past half century. How many races were won on fear and the other won on hope? This last election cycle there was enough fear out there already so hope won. All parties and the media need to stop spreading fear and start looking at the hopeful sign in our times.
Where is the good news?
- 50% of us will not be affected by these economic times in a bad way.
- Some states are looking to import workers into their economies.
- When times are tough, businesses look at ways of becoming more efficient (this is green!)
- We still have food to eat and most of us still have shelter.
- There are programs out there to help you make your home more efficient
- There is talk about ways to keep the US strong through energy independence
New Years Resolution #1- this is for me and all of you!!!!!
Focus on the positive and avoid the negative. Help those who do not have hope and offer words of hope to get them through the day, week, and year. Pick a cause that needs help and give some of your time to it so they can be hope messengers as well. There are those out there that are much worse off than us, help uplift their spirit.
Try this out for a few days and let me know how it works. Let your friends, family and colleagues know what your mission is and encourage them to join in as well. Hope is contagious and 1 positive comment can refuel someones spirit for one day.
Yes, times are tougher than a few years ago, but we will make it through it as long as we focus on the positive.
PS- If everyone felt good about these times, than the stock market would pick up as well and consumer spending would resume. It is unfortunate that these are the main indicators of our emotional well being, but we can control them.
Hope.
I will focus on some movements that wil not only help you feel better, but will positively effect others as well over the next few weeks in my blog posts.
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Jan.24,2009
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