12 Lessons Learned from the Recession
1) Jobs. Jobs come and go. Is your identity attached to your work? If your job goes away, will you have a life after your job? Have you developed other areas of your personal and professional life for balance?
2) People come and go from our lives. Who are the people who are really there for you when you need them?
3) Money. Living on credit is not as solid as having cash in the bank. Most of us have significantly pulled back on spending to live within our means and to save.
4) Local businesses. If we don’t support the small businesses in our community, they go away. Do we really only want to work with and shop at the mega stores?
5) The federal bank bailouts are not helping Main Street. The middle class is eroding. Self-sufficiency is necessary today.
6) If we don’t bring back manufacturing and re-establish a significant manufacturing base, the jobs that have left the state and the country will be gone forever. As a country, we need a significant commitment from the government and private sector to fund manufacturing.
7) New jobs. Finding a job in today’s economy is all about who you know. More people find jobs through their personal networks than by submitting résumés into online databases.
8) Ask for what you want. It’s easier to negotiate, barter, and deal as everyone is eager to move things forward. Credit card and mortgage companies are now willing to negotiate more than ever.
9) Step up your personal and corporate marketing efforts. Staying visible both personally and professionally online and in the community will continue to create new opportunities.
10) Volunteer. Look for ways to give back. Volunteering will make you feel good, as well as give you the opportunity to help others who are less fortunate.
11) Appreciation. Appreciate and be grateful for what is important and already in our lives. It’s nice to have nice things, but many of us realize that materialism is not what makes up happy. We don’t need to collect more to have more.
12) Stay positive. Stay focused on what’s important in your life and let the rest be background noise. Everything is a cycle and this too shall pass.
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