The Recession Is Over

As you probably know unless this is your first time here, I’ve just come back from a week’s vacation in the frozen wasteland that is the UK. It was an interesting jaunt back home, one that even the most dedicated and committed sado-masochist would have struggled to rank much higher up the scale than purgatory.

I must point out that I did manage to develop a heavy cold within 76 seconds of touching down in cold, forlorn and dour Manchester and that no doubt influenced my state of mind. I’m aware that colds take several days to incubate so unfortunately I can’t blame it on warm beer, the Royal Family or Mary Poppins as much as I’d like to.

I regularly speak to family and friends back in the UK and they frequently ask me if things are as bad economically speaking in the US as they are back home. I don’t listen to the news here that often, but when I do it’s usually wall to wall doom and gloom so I figure there really isn’t that much difference and say as much.

A bit like there’s not much difference between Manchester drizzle and a Kansas tornado.

Driving back from the airport to my sister’s house my brother-in-law had BBC Radio 4 on. That was fun in a let’s stick forks in our eyes, bathe in battery acid and wear horsehair underwear kind of a way. At one stage I just wanted to burst into tears. I fully expected the presenter to say the Government had announced that anybody caught looking on the bright side of life would be taxed at 101% of their income, and then thrashed to within an inch of their life in public.

I think my brother-in-law sensed my declining mood and switched channels to lighten things up a bit, just in time for us to hear England get hammered at cricket in India. Ho-hum.

You could be forgiven for clicking away at this stage, after all you haven’t come here to be whined at and read my tales of misfortune and woe. I’m a life coach I should be perky, right?

Our environment influences all of us to a greater or lesser extent. I’ve come to accept that I lean towards the greater end of that scale. If you throw me in a room full of miserable bastards, I will miraculously turn into a miserable bastard right before your very eyes. I’d like to think it’s a rare skill, but alas it isn’t, it’s about as rare as a stoner at a Grateful Dead concert.

Fortunately for my health and the sanity of those around me I got a handle on this several years ago. It was then I finally accepted that I wasn’t a realist but a lowdown and dirty pessimist. Not only that, but I had an uncanny knack of unloading my pessimism on others and bringing them down too. Not a particularly pleasant revelation I can tell you.

If you’re a drug addict and want to quit drugs my first advice would be to start hanging around with people that are drug free. It’s not particularly profound in the advice stakes. But it is something that a lot of people don’t do either through ignorance, reluctance to change or a combination of both.

I know that if I expose myself to a constant stream of negativity I’ll be donning my pants of pessimism and cloak of cynicism quicker than you can say endogenous growth theory. So I do my best to avoid all that crap. I don’t listen to bad news, I seldom talk about the economy (except when clients raise it or to use it for examples like this one) and I don’t get into conversations that start off “Well I’m lucky to be living in this broken down rabbit hutch and eating snow for dinner in an economy like this”

Well of course you are. If that’s what you’re told to think over and over again then sooner or later the will drip-drip effect will have you believing that it’s the truth. Ladies and Gentlemen, a big round of applause for Mr. Self-Fulfilling Prophesy if you will please.

There’s another way though and that’s to refuse to get involved in the massive worldwide pity party. Yeh misery loves company, but so do horny Baboons and I’m not inviting them round for dinner and getting out my best Wedgwood dinner service just yet. (Note: The picture is actually Baboons taking part in last years beach leap frog competition and not what you may have thought)

Going back to the UK pitched me into an environment that doesn’t suit me. I honestly didn’t think that the UK could be more down on itself than the US, but it sure seemed like it was when I was there. My perception to begin with was that it was much harder to dodge the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune without ducking into a grenade than it is here.

On reflection though even if it is harder, it’s by no means impossible because if I can do it, ANYBODY can do it. Within a few days I’d started to tune the negative background noise out again. I didn’t turn the radio on when I went out in the car, I didn’t watch TV news and I shifted conversations away from the &*%^&$# economy because I suspected the Government weren’t waiting with baited breath to hear my thoughts on the matter.

So here’s my question to you.

What do you think would happen if you didn’t know there was a recession underway? Do you think you’d do anything differently? Would your outlook or demeanor change? Would you be more daring, less likely to accept second best? Would you be happier, more upbeat and more raring to go on a Monday morning?

If the answer to all or any of those questions is yes, why not just pretend? Pretend that this recession doesn’t apply to you. Pretend that your industry thrives in downturns. Pretend that it’s all over and you’ve come out smiling.

I know there will be people out there shaking their heads at my cavalier attitude and solemnly thinking I’m delusional. Maybe they’re right, maybe I am, but I’d rather be delusional and happy than realistic and miserable and that is a choice I can make every day.

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This is a post I wrote last year and I must be a soothsayer because it seems to have come true. Go figure.

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53 Comments So Far.

Comment by Evan on 4 December 2008:

Hi Tim,

I think our environment is very important – glad you raise this.

I’m in Australia where things aren’t so bad (thankyou China for buying all that stuff we dig out of the ground!) so I may be feeling more optimistic than people in the US or England. (Doesn’t the danger of getting shot in the US environment affect you by the way?)

My income is pretty minimal at the moment so recession or not doesn’t affect me very much. I’d be building up from nothing anyway.

Evans last blog post..From Demolition to Authenticity
Comment by Vered – MomGrind on 4 December 2008:

I don’t know, Tim. I agree there’s no point in reading every bit of news and absorbing it all, but yes I like to know what’s going on in the world.

Would you advise that we tune out events such as 9/11 or the war in Iraq too? What about news of child abuse (those always get me into a very bad mood) – especially if you don’t have kids, why would you care?

Do you think we should tune out all bad news or just financial news?

Also. Wouldn’t you want to know if your bank was on the brink of collapsing, or if the housing market was going through changes that could affect your decision to buy or sell a house or your home’s value?

Vered – MomGrinds last blog post..Are Blogs And eBooks Inferior To Printed Books?
Comment by Hilary on 4 December 2008:

Recession?? What recession? I guess I’ve picked up enough to develop a bit of a pavlov’s dog response to the words ‘finance report’ on my TV. Automatic finger twitch on the remote response. Finance is a damn good example since it’s usually mass hysteria that crashes stock markets.

I understand where Vered-Momgrind is coming from (and also that she is interested in this stuff, which is the most important factor). It’s like the ignorance of Marie Antoinette suggesting the masses should just make a different gastronomic selection – there have been times when there was too much ignorance around – but I’m a subscriber to the raise-the-vibration school of thought and you don’t raise it by wallowing in the negative. So I’m with you, Tim. Bring on the earplugs and the blissful optimism.

Hilarys last blog post..Passion in the soul that has everything
Comment by Tim Brownson on 4 December 2008:

@ Evan – Danger of being shot? What literally you mean? It never really crosses my mind. Like yourself I have paired my income requirements way back and the recession isn’t having much of a negative effect on me.

@ Vered – That isn’t really what I meant. I’m not saying bury your head in the sand and yes, I was primarily talking about the economic crisis.

Whereas I personally don’t follow the news anything like as closely as I used to, I have no issue with people that want to. You say that stories about child abuse put you in a bad mood, so why read them? Seriously, what have you ever gained from reading them, ever? Absorbing more bad news doesn’t help anybody except the people that are trying to make money from selling the stories ie the media. It has nothing to do with having children.

I’ve had people that earn 5 times what I do telling me they need to worry about the economy and I should too. Okkkkk, how does that work then?
Comment by Mike King on 4 December 2008:

What!!!! There’s a recession?

Now look what you’ve done…. :)
Comment by Vered – MomGrind on 4 December 2008:

I have a good friend. She’s amazing. She’s the perfect housewife, happily takes care of her household and kids, easy going. She’s everything I am not and I love her for it.

When the economy started to tank, I was super worried. I handle our finances, and there were a few days where I was really stressed because I was going through the process of trying to decide how to handle the new economy.

During that time I met her. We hugged, and I asked her how she was. She smiled brightly and said cheerfully “I’m GREAT!” and proceeded to tell me about her kid finally being potty trained.

At first, I thought she was really lucky to be oblivious to the financial mess. But then I thought that I would never want to be in her place. It’s like a child: unaware of all the bad stuff, sheltered, perhaps happier – but is it real happiness if it’s not based on the facts? It’s like living in a fool’s paradise. Knowledge is power. Access to knowledge and the ability to make decisions based on that knowledge are among the most important aspects of being an adult.

I actually think our opinions are closer to each other’s than you probably think. I don’t think you’re saying we should be oblivious – just that we shouldn’t wallow in it and turn it into a pity party. With that, I agree. But I do follow the news because I want the information. It’s part of being an adult.

Vered – MomGrinds last blog post..Are Blogs And eBooks Inferior To Printed Books?
Comment by Evelyn Lim on 5 December 2008:

I am aware of generally how bad things are but do not bother to read the news in great detail everyday. I’ve got investments that are not doing all that well but I hardly think of them either. I just don’t like the idea of having bad news affect my mood. I can’t do anything about the economic situation anyway so I’d rather focus on things that I can do.

Hope you get better soon!!

Evelyn Lims last blog post..How NOT Embracing The Truth Causes Knee Pains
Comment by Writer Dad on 5 December 2008:

We should never be oblivious, but we shouldn’t allow it to define us. Every epoch breeds opportunity for someone, and it most often arrives for those who were not gritting their teeth.

Writer Dads last blog post..The Zen of Manliness
Comment by Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome on 5 December 2008:

I think it’s a matter of degree.

Let’s take a plane crash as an example instead of the economy.

There was a horrible plane crash in Madrid this summer. The families of the passengers were horribly affected. Me? Not at all, and yet for 3 days every time I turned on the TV the news and the interrupted programming told me that I was affected. Why? This wasn’t news! This was sensationalism and morbid curiosity – this was “if it bleeds, it leads” taken to an extreme. They had a million “experts” on talking about people’s fear of flying…

Or when the Basque terrorists do something the news then goes all the way back to the early 1980s to discuss in detail every attack by ETA. why? Sensationalism – fear mongering.

I know that in the US the culture of fear has gotten so bad that one woman on a blog said in comments once that her children weren’t allowed to leave the back deck to play in the backyard unless she was with them – because someone might climb over the 8 foot fence and steal her children!

The world is a horrible scary place, we’re told every single day.

To choose to look at the bright side and to ignore the things you can’t change – because honestly other than changing our spending habits and voting for the people we think will help, what more can we do? – isn’t being childish – it’s being balanced and sane.

There are those, of course, who go to the opposite extreme and are willfully ignorant of everything. I can’t support them either and want to give them a shake to wake them up just as much as I want to slap and calm down the people on the other end.

At the beginning of all this, I asked my financial planner if I should be worried and she said: “You don’t want your money until you’re 65, right?” “Yup” “Then don’t worry about it.” Great! Works for me! I now switch off when I hear Crisis crisis crisis.

Tim – what is it about your posts that get people ranting? ;)

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndromes last blog post..Fear, Unique Pathways & Self-Awareness: Lessons from the Lab-Rats
Comment by Anja Merret on 5 December 2008:

Totally agree with you on this one.
Comment by Bill Skrips on 5 December 2008:

Jeez, I hate saying this, but you, sir, are correct!
Thank you for being that bright ray of optimism and EVEN MORE for your advice on putting a good face on it and greeting the day like it was your last.
How many hours do we have left anyway? Why not be positive?
Enjoy it or AT LEAST, smile through it.
All this coming from a pessimist/doubter who is trying desparately to reform.
On the realistic side, those thar Baboons know how to have a good time better than most of us!
There is a lesson right before you -partially about not overthinking things and partially about heeding the good old maxim “carpe diem.”
Well done, Tim.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 5 December 2008:

@ Hilary – I like that Pavlovs Dog response. I hope you don’t start salivating though ;-)

@ Mike – Ssshhh, I mentioned the recession once but I think I got away with it

@ Vered – I think we’re probably about half way between the two if truth be known. I’m not sure I agree with the ‘knowledge is power’ thing though. Maybe 50 years ago, but we live in a knowledge age where that information is available at the click of a mouse to anybody. Agreed not all will look for it, but more will than ever before. Knowledge is useless without action.

@ Anja – Good ;-)

@ Bill – Agreed about the baboons, but I wouldn’t try that on your local beach, it may lead to some embarrassment, especially for the baboon. Glad to hear your reforming ;-) It isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 5 December 2008:

Damn the akismet thingy! I keep missing snagged comments.

@ Evelyn – That’s pretty much my take too. I have heard 35 year old’s panicking about their retirement investment! What’s that all about? Unless you’re going to cash it in at the bottom of the market, who cares what it’s worth now?

@ Writer Dad – Did you just some up my entire bloody post in one sentence? You did, didn’t you ;-)

@ Alex – Bang on! I agree with ALL that. Fear sells unfortunately and I doubt that will ever change and the examples you use are excellent ones, there has to be a balance to help us retain some semblance of sanity.
Comment by Maria | Never the Same River Twice on 5 December 2008:

Tim, I’m new to you blog, and really enjoying your photographic illustrations!

I have to agree with Tim Ferris’s view that the vast majority of news isn’t actionable, and therefore not much good to us. I recently went on a small media fast and found it quite helpful in reducing my general anxiety level.

It’s impossible to avoid hearing about the news entirely (unless you’re a monk or a hermit), so I don’t see much point anymore in investing time into actively pursuing news info.

Maria | Never the Same River Twices last blog post..5 Ways That You Can Manage Change Just Like the Big 3 Automakers
Comment by Skippy on 5 December 2008:

‘bright ray of optimism’ – Never thought I would hear that desription about you Tim!!!

You know I read the local, National and International news everyday at work via the WWW. I just read it, I absorb what I need to know and let the other go. I don’t dwell on it. I am aware but I am also happily unaware as they don’t actually affect anything I do. The news reports are always heavily biased depending where you are reading. You only have to read the news about Iraq to see this – US is not the only country who has forces out there!!

Evan – As for getting shot in the US environment, if it’s going to happen it’s going to happen. Why worry, just try to stay safe. This should not affect day to day life, and can happen anywhere, anytime – just look at all the shopping mall shootings and school/college incidents.

Tim only has to worry about whether the dogs will let him in the house!!!
Comment by Isabel Joely Black on 5 December 2008:

Interestingly, I was doing a contract in financial services as the whole thing unfolded. There was an interesting comment, one made about the time Alistair Darling said this would be worse than the Great Depression, that during the Great Depression a commentator reported that it was avoidable, created in the minds of people absorbing the news, panicking, and because they didn’t really understand what was going on, their panicked actions took a situation and made it much, much worse than it needed to be. And so the same thing happens here.

I see the current financial situation (which you can judge as bad or good depending on your circumstances) as not unlike the apparent climate crisis that preceded it. We seem, as a species, to have a longing for the wailing and the gnashing of teeth bit. What changed, aside from some financial mistakes, was an attitude. Financial services, and then the wider world dependent upon it, went from a position of optimism to a position of fear. It took a lot of people with it.

I live outside the normal flow of beliefs and attitudes of people around me, and my tendency has always been not to just rattle off whatever I’ve heard from others but judge for myself. The majority of human action seems to be inspired by fear and lack of intelligent inquiry. A year ago somebody I know bought a house on a 100% mortgage with a friend that has now devalued by about 15%. I asked what investigating he’d done into whether buying a house was a good idea and it turned out he hadn’t done any real research. It was just what everybody else was doing, so he did it too. We are crowd motivated, and media and politics act as the leaders that tell us not just what we should be doing but how we should be thinking.

I also grew up to see the crisis in the 80s, and I remember being young and people striking and everybody saying it was the end of the world. I read the Times columnists talking about recession as though it has never happened before. Yes it has. We have also recovered from it because when people stop panicking and move on to gnashing their teeth over something else (it’ll be the climate again soon). Life will pick itself back up again and carry on because right now, the people who turn things around are just waiting for the right moment to start buying stocks and being confident. One of them is my father – who lives on what he makes on the stockmarket.

I figure I have two choices in all of this: 1. Worry or 2. Not worry. So I’m not worrying. It’s just easier, and I feel saner.

Isabel Joely Blacks last blog post..Amnar Podcast – Amnar Special Edition 2
Comment by Tim Brownson on 5 December 2008:

@ Maria – Thanks a lot. As I sit there tittering to myself like am 8 year old, I sometimes wonder if they go over the head (if over the head is the right expression) of most people. It’s good to know you’re with me ;-)

@ Skippy – Whatcya mean? That’s me to a tee!

@ Joely – Today is yet another example of why the comments are often better than my posts!

I can’t even think of Alistair Darling without thinking of Blackadder Goes Forth. Are we much further down the evolutionary path with our leaders than we were then? I’m doubtful.

And of course you’re right, every single economic downturn has rebounded just as every upturn has dipped. We need a bit of Zen perspective round here!
Comment by Ian on 5 December 2008:

It’s funny that you should post this now. I was thinking about gas prices the other day on my drive to work. Since they have plummeted, it is so much more reasonable to fill up the tank again, but I thought about what the price meant in relation to the economy.

I am not driving any further now that gas prices have come down so low, but I am still concerned about my money. I realized that while a recession was declared, I was already looking forward to beyond this period when it came to my life and finances.

With that in mind, it is easy to apply your suggestion. After all, I am not ready to succumb to the recession that we are in. I am working hard to maintain my income and to push my savings and investments to the maximum while I have the opportunity to leverage a low buy-in.

Sure, this may last for a few more years, but my entire life need not suffer because of the poor sentiments in the media. Which brings me around to my point. Your post is a prime example of why I seek to minimize television and mainstream radio media from my life. Even in good times, the media push the worst in the world, and I, like you, am affected by the attitudes of those around me.

Thanks for sharing the details of your trip. The last time I was in England was in 1995 and I’m itching to head back for a little holiday. Hopefully I’ll head over there in mid-2009.
Comment by Dave Fowler on 5 December 2008:

Well Thanks a BUNCH, you total and utter bastard! I wasn’t in the least bit concerned until you told me how shit it is in England and now I’m completely depressed. To cap it all you’ve slung your hook back to the US and you’re sitting pretty by your pool. A baboons arse, is what you are sir!

Like you I am a born pessimist and it took me years to acknowledge that. Not a total, all-out morose git, but I’d always take a cynical view of things and noted how nothing went right for me.

Once I started to realise I was making my own thoughts come true, I decided to think better thoughts and as you indicate, they too started to come true.

Now I’d say I’m an optimist.

BTW I hope you still have your cold. You deserve it. :)

Dave Fowlers last blog post..The Crack Of Dawn
Comment by Tim Brownson on 5 December 2008:

@ Ian – Wouldn’t it be great if a few million more started to cutback on their MSM consumption? So much so that they had to reassess their approach and stop trying to scare people to death.

@ Fowler – Outside now! C’mon oustide, I’m not messing with ya. Nobody comes on to my blog using words like git.

BTW, what happened to your comments. I went over to abuse you and couldn’t comment. I couldn’t be arsed to dig around and find out why.
Comment by Monica on 5 December 2008:

I keep having this conversation with myself:

Self, we are going to keep smiling and believing that there are jobs, awesome jobs for me and my classmates. Recession, what recession. I have spend the past 2 years of my life studying to be the best MPA in the universe and economic downturns and hiring freezes are not going to stop me for getting the job of my dreams! So get the *%#! out of the duldrums and keep talking to people about your skills, keep applying for jobs, and stop complaining! This will all blow over by May, anyway.

I, too, tend to be a cynic and a pessimist and KNOW that I have to stay away from other depressed and cynical people or I turn into an evil orge (and then no one wants to play with me).

Your post made me laugh and it made me think. Well done.

Monicas last blog post..Happiness to Me BYODream
Comment by Kathy R on 5 December 2008:

Here here! For these reasons exactly, I haven’t watched local news in Chicago for about 10 years. Got tired of feeling depressed and helpless.

But I wonder, just like with cigarettes, do you think people get addicted to bad news even though they know it is bad for them?

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a news show or a cable channel that only showed good news?
Comment by Michael Panebianco on 6 December 2008:

Tim,
Your post encouraged me to re-view a book I havent looked at in 10 years. Circle of concern, circle of influence from Covey came front and center to me after reading your entry.

I have spent many years and many relationships in the throes of suffering the things that truly don’t affect me in a meaningful way, or hammering away at the things that I can’t meaningfully affect. I spend much of my time now trying to keep people present to find success in bad situations. The visit here reminds me to stay present in more areas of my life. Easy to say, hard to do, but definitely worth the effort and practice.

Great post.
Comment by Dave Fowler on 6 December 2008:

The part of the database they lived in was eaten by the server although the hosting company will never admit it.

I need to mend the database -myself- and then I’m good to go again, but the upshot is, I’ve lost 1100 commnets. Ouch.

Still, look on the bright side, eh?

The brightside is… er…. errm… oh.

OK there is no bright side. lol.

Of course there’s a bright side – I’m not seriously ill, my family are all in fine fettle too and I can still walk to the pub on both my feet.

Dave Fowlers last blog post..My comments are lost and my heart is broken
Comment by Isabel Joely Black on 6 December 2008:

@Tim Thank you. Actually, Alistair Darling reminds me of the Munsters. I seem to have become very Zen lately. I think this is a good development.

Isabel Joely Blacks last blog post..Amnar Podcast – Amnar Special Edition 2
Comment by Tim Brownson on 6 December 2008:

@ Monica – Now that’s what I call a BRILLIANT internal conversation. Most people I speak to have this conversation “Why am I such a moron? Why is my life so crap?” on a perpetual loop. We have to work with are strengths and avoid the weaknesses.

@ Kathy – I’d never even thought of that to be honest. I suspect it’s that they get apathetic about it and actually think it has value, but I could be wrong.

@ Michael – A great book 7 Habits is and I regularly use that with clients that seem intent on worrying about anything and everything.

@ Dave – Sorry to break the news mate, but if you glance down one of your feet is now missing. I have it and you only get it back if you drop down in supplication at my feet and then go and make me a nice sandwich. It’s a big muvva btw.

@ Joely – Yeh we could all do with some more Zen, not least of all, Steve Pavlina ;-)
Comment by Steve Errey on 6 December 2008:

Isn’t Blighty brilliant Tim?! The only place in the world where losers get cheered more than winners and half the population are eating deep-fried Mars bars and stealing cars.

I’ve become very aware of the fact that even though I live in a very ‘nice’ part of Kent (the Garden of England, don’t ya know) that my environment is limiting me. That’s why I’m as eager as to leave as a tiny nun at a penguin shoot.

2009 is the year I wanna head to New York – a city I love, a place that feels like home and a place where I can grow.
Comment by Dave Fowler on 6 December 2008:

I’m sorry Tim you’re going to have to continue to pay for your supplication. Now that Steve’s leaving the country as well, there’ll be so many more mars bars for me to deep fry and I just won’t have the time. Sorry! ;)
Comment by Tim Brownson on 6 December 2008:

@ Steve – LMAO at that metaphor or was is a simile or even an analogy? Anyway I digress because I think I’ll be stealing that at some stage. Look for a picture of a penguin on my home page in the not too distant future ;-)

Yeh we’re strange fish, but then again so are seahorses.

@ Dave – Ok I’ll take you up on the buy 2 supplications and get one free Hail Timmy. I’m not interested in any bishop bashing though, before you ask.
Comment by Dave Fowler on 6 December 2008:

I can’t claim to be religious myself but I do think the bishops do quite a good job and I certainly don’t think they deserve a bashing. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you.
Comment by Isabel Joely Black on 6 December 2008:

@Tim

I shall send him some Zen.

And I love Steve Errey’s description of England. He did miss out though that the majority of the population are sitting around discussing their mortgages.

Isabel Joely Blacks last blog post..Amnar Podcast – Amnar – Chapter 9
Comment by Ned on 7 December 2008:

I was waiting for someone to write a post like this. Maybe I’ll write one as well to add more power to the positive vibe you are putting out.

Several months back, I was talking to my father about the economy. He pointed out that, having been through this before, he knows we’ll come out of it again. No one knows when, but there is no need to worry. It is a cycle.

That’s kind of how life is all together, isn’t it? Sometimes good things happen and other times bad things happen. The key is to not get attached to either and just go with the flow. Good and bad are just labels we put on events. There is nothing good or bad inherent in the event.

And I love your sense of humor by the way. Your like a “real life” coach instead just a “life” coach.

Namaste
Comment by Tim Brownson on 7 December 2008:

@ Ned – That is exactly how life is. And you’re right of course it is the meaning we attach to ’stuff’ that gives it its importance not the ’stuff’ itself.

BTW, I LOVE the tagline, the ‘real life’ coach thanks a lot! Would you mind if I used it please?
Comment by Laurie on 7 December 2008:

Hi Tim! Attitude makes such a difference doesn’t it? The teacher in me is giving you an assignment. You are to go back to three of your negative feelings/experiences from your trip and re-frame them.

As far as my family goes, we cut our sending way, way back. Not due to the recession but due to me quitting my job to start up my new business. Am I scared? No. I feel that I had a helping hand in getting into this business from the Big Man, so I have to trust it will work out. If it doesn’t, I am not an idiot. I can go back to the classroom. As far as our charitable giving, we made a leap of faith and didn’t cut that even though I quit my job.

My hub was in a bad place in the beginning of the stock market roller coaster, but now, it has gotten to be a joke. It doesn’t seem to bother him like it did. Who has any control over all that stuff anyway? To worry is a waste. Instead, plan in case but enjoy the day.

I don’t listen to the news so I don’t get the play by play on who is laying off and all. I just take care of my business and move forward with a smile. The news loves making things seems horrific. Ratings is money for them you know. So the worse they can make it seem the more they profit from increased viewing. I say shut it all off!
Comment by Ned on 7 December 2008:

I give you full rights, Tim, to “real life” coach as long as you never include a picture of baboons doing ‘leap frog’ again in your blog. LOL

Neds last blog post..Taking a break
Comment by Davina on 8 December 2008:

Hey Tim. I like this principle of pretending. But it’s hard to pretend that a freight train is not coming down the tracks at you ;-) See, the only funding that I have to support me right now is being eaten up twice as fast as I can live off it. (hear those violins?)

I guess I could pretend that the $$$ is like sands through an hour glass and when it runs out I just turn it over and let it start again. That might work. Or maybe we’ll all wake up on New Year’s day and realize this was all a bad F’ing dream.

Davinas last blog post..Step Out Of Crisis And Into Power
Comment by Dave Fowler on 8 December 2008:

Yeah Davina, let him have it!

The jerk’s had it coming for ages. Sitting in his gold plated office, eating his five course dinners off the flat stomachs of the American Ladies Beach Volleyball Team.

Pah!

:D

Dave Fowlers last blog post..My comments are lost and my heart is broken
Comment by Dave Fowler on 8 December 2008:

Tim, will you please stop moderating my bloody comments.

Do I do it to you when you visit my place? Hmmm?

Dave Fowlers last blog post..My comments are lost and my heart is broken
Comment by Kelly@SHE-POWER on 8 December 2008:

What economic crisis?

I don’t think something being dissected on the news every night has to affect us at all. I would argue that personally I don’t have a crisis until there actually is one, but if I watch tv all the time then I might start to imagine problems, and then that would create a problem. Not in my finances, but in my state of mind. Much worse if you ask me.

The banks may be having problems and the Australian economy has slowed, but to be honest my family is doing fine. We are conscious of the need to keep debts down and stay abreas of the mortgage market, but other than that, why else do we need to read about economic disaster stories. I know some people are really hurting and in the past I have been one of them. That’s life – sometimes you’re up and other times you’re down. I can be aware of this and empathetic to people with struggles without wallowing in the misery of it all, because who does that help exactly?

I believe we should focus on those areas we can control or influence and the global economy isn’t one of them.

kelly

Kelly@SHE-POWERs last blog post..Intruder!
Comment by Tim Brownson on 8 December 2008:

@ Laurie – Trust me I have reframed that trip! Not gonna tell you how, but trust me, I have ;-) Glad your hubbie ha started to take that approach. If in doubt, laugh!

@ Ned – Thanks!

@ Davina – I don’t think I’m really saying pretend. It’s more a ‘don’t worry’ thing. I don’t think it’s wise for somebody with no money to take on more debt by pretending they’re rich. But I do think it’s wise to take whatever action will help and then trust things will work out. Worry is an energy killer.

@ Fowler – I’ll moderate what the hell I want to moderate. I’m not having you running amok round here like a horny bull in a china chop full of china cows. It was be chaos. Anyway, you can blame Commentluv, it’s her fault.

@ Kelly – There you go again, coming round here being all sensible. I can only say excellent comment and I agree. Let’s hope Dave Fowler takes note.
Comment by Tony on 8 December 2008:

I think it is important to keep tabs on what’s going on – but you don’t have to let it get you down. There is always opportunity out there. Also, it pays to be prepared. I saw the recession coming four years ago, so I stockpiled cash. I’m now in a position to buy assets at knock down prices if I want. (I’m waiting – so read what you want into that)

With regards dear old Blighty – I frankly hate the place, but my family is here, so I stay (at least for another few years).

Over the last few years I’ve visited Asia quite a bit, Thailand and Malaysia in particular. I’ve also been scoping out Portugal and the Philippines. The quality of life in Asia, (note I didn’t say standard of living), is a stark contrast to the UK – that is, it is better in Asia.

Quality of life is a hard thing to quantify, and it is very subjective, but the UK usually does appallingly badly in QOL surveys. I know, I read a lot of them. :)

I think when you travel you realize there is a yawning chasm between the government telling you “you’ve never had it so good”, and realizing that actually the quality of life in UK stinks!

No place is perfect, and everywhere has it’s fair share of problems, but place does define you (I think it was Po Bronson who said that).
Comment by Lori on 10 December 2008:

Hi Tim,

I think there’s a lot of great wisdom in here. I particularly liked this question: “What do you think would happen if you didn’t know there was a recession underway?” Here’s why.

I still have a job that provides enough. Maybe I can’t travel as much as I’d like, and I drive a car so old it practically has a hole in the bottom for foot-propelling a la Fred Flintstone. But my reality has stayed the same pre- and post-recession. Why then, I wonder, do I talk about it so much? I’m always speculating about how screwed I’d be if I were unemployed right now. I bring up layoffs whenever the phone rings, whether it’s my mom, my best friend, or my land lord.

I have integrated our economic state into my daily consciousness even though it doesn’t seem to directly affect me. I’m not really sure why I do this, but I can’t help wondering if it serves me in any way. My instincts say it doesn’t.

Thanks for another thought-provoking post.

Lori

Loris last blog post..BeMeaningful: RT @JerryBroughton "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
Comment by Tim Brownson on 10 December 2008:

@ Lori – And I think your instinct are right. They usually are you know ;-)
Comment by Vlad on 8 January 2009:

Hey Tim,

it’s funny that you write this, because I just recently had a conversation along those lines with some friends:

“I don’t believe in the economic crisis.”
“Wait, what do you mean you don’t believe in it?”
“That’s just it. I don’t believe in it.”
“Dude, the economy is collapsig, the banking system is screwed, companies are massively laying off workers…”
“I haven’t noticed any of that personally.”
“What do you mean you haven’t noticed? It’s all over the news, it’s the talk of the world…”
“It hasn’t had any effect on me personally.”
“But…”

It’s hard for some people to understand that the “recession” has had no effect on me whatsoever :). Might be because I’ve watched the news roughly twice over the last four years.

Vlads last blog post..5 Simple Steps to An Amazing Life – a Free e-Book
Comment by Tim Brownson on 8 January 2009:

@ Vlad – Twice in 4 years, why so much?
Comment by Amy Jewell / Cirklagirl on 16 January 2009:

Did you say that there is a RECESSION going on? Really? Why didn’t anybody tell me!

Amy Jewell / Cirklagirls last blog post..Guest Blog – Building Community, One Network at a Time
Comment by Tim Brownson on 16 January 2009:

@ Amy – Didn’t you get the memo? I’m sure you were on the list. Oh well just be thankful you know now!
Comment by Pinklady on 18 January 2009:

I definitely agree if anyone is a drug addict and want to quit drugs they should be hanging around with people that are drug free. It is influence that matters a whole lot.
Secondly recession is just here….everyone is impacted mostly. How are we going to get away from it? Wait for 2 years?

Pinkladys last blog post..BN lost in Kuala Terengganu by-election
Comment by Johnny Truant on 11 February 2009:

Wow, right on. I hadn’t seen this post originally and just read it after it showed up as one of your best-ofs. I simply refuse to expose myself to all of this negativity. Because: Does it inform me? Make me more socially responsible?

Or does it instead depress me, incapacitate me, and make me want to curl up into a ball?

There is factual reality. Then there is what is being force-fed to us by the media. I draw the line between the two and refuse to let it in.

Great post.

Johnny Truants last blog post..Unfortunately, pants
Comment by Magali on 10 April 2009:

It’s a shame that hard times are the only time some people reevaluate their priorities. I find that since I’m working two jobs, I simply don’t have time for all the media I use to absorb . . . and I manage to live without it somehow.
Comment by Jake | Revive Your Life on 14 April 2009:

Hello Tim,

Good article. We all need to tune out the negative stuff that can surround us in life. Unfortunately, news media highlights all the bad stuff out there.

Try taking one negative item away from yourself each month and see if it changes your outlook on things. We can all fill our buckets up with too much and overload ourselves. When I remove a negative thing in my life I have tried to replace it with a positive…exercise, eating good, etc.

Thanks again Tim.

Jake

Jake | Revive Your Lifes last blog post..The Challenge of Change – Fear of the Unknown
Comment by Tim Brownson on 15 April 2009:

@ Magali – I guess it is a shame, but then again I’m guessing that’s just human nature. It’s amazing that some people do what you do and others complain they have no time yet spend 4 hours a day watching TV!

@ Jake – That’s certainly an interesting idea. The real problem comes though when it’s a close family member.
Comment by Jon Rhodes on 28 May 2009:

Here’s an interesting one, internet advertisers who do Email marketing have noticed that far more Emails get opened with the title ‘bad news’ than with the title ‘good news’.

People are generally far more drawn towards negative ‘bad’ news far more than ‘good’ positive news. The media of course knows this and caters by publishing more of the rough stuff to satisfy our masochistic tenancies. This leads to the impression that things are far worse than they really are.

For instance, would you really be that aware of the current economic ‘crisis’ if it was not constantly highlighted? Is your life really that different now?

Instead of being negative, why not see the positive in the current circumstances? There is opportunity in every situation. For example if you are a writer, then write about money saving tips. People will be far more interested in that right now. If you are an accountant, then offer a service that guarantees to save a company money even paying after your fees.

People want to make or save money more than ever – opportunity knocks if you think outside the box!