Loading ...I’m seeing a lot of hand-wringing going on around the Internet due to economy. Yes, we do have cause for concern. Yes, it is time to put an end to the corporate.Wall Street/government greed and corruption that is largely responsible for getting us there. (And people need to take some responsibility themselves as well for their own greed in living on credit and beyond their means and getting into bad loan situations). And yes, in the meantime, there will be some lean, hard times for many.
But I don’t think it’s the end of the world–sometimes you have to deconstruct in order to reconstruct–and there are still going to be whole micro-economies that will be largely unaffected. The world will keep turning. Life–and business–will go on. You can’t let worry and wondering about what the future holds completely shut you down in the meantime. Just keep on doing what you’re doing.
My buddy and branding expert Rob Frankel wrote a wonderful message in response to someone who was put on notice that she would be downsized soon. I asked him if he could adapt his message for those who are in business as well so that I could share it with you all.
Here is his message which he has graciously allowed me to share. Please feel free to post it on your own blog–he gave me permission to let you do that (just make sure you attribute the writing to Rob Frankel with a link back to his site). I think it’s important that we share this message with others and not let worry and handwringing and sensationalism rule the day…
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If you’ve been given the pink slip (whether from an employer or a client), it’s okay to feel bad. It’s okay to vent. It’s okay to feel angry. But whatever you do, don’t blame it on the economy. Blame it on the panic over the economy. Because contrary to what the media rants, this financial crisis–just like all the others– is going to pass. They always do. The only real differences between this bear market and the others are:
- This one is being reported and speculated on instantaneously (and more often than not, prematurely) due to the Internet and instant communication technology.
- It’s being reported and "analyzed" (read: sensationalized) by wholly unqualified talking heads whose main agenda are ratings, rather than real information.
- As such, the swings are wilder, and reactions more emotional, than they might have been 20 years ago. Antiques like myself have lived through this kind of thing, and can tell you that those who know the least about reality end up getting hurt the most. Those who don’t buy into the panic and think it out do the best, often emerging from the crisis even stronger as a result of their thinking stuff out.
So vent until you’re tired of venting–seriously, you need to do that. Then, when you’re done, sit down and use your smarts to plan out your comeback. Become your own client. I kid you not, one hour at the kitchen table parsing out your options is probably all it takes.
Those among us who decided to open our own shops live in a world of perpetual job-seeking, so the crisis is likely to hit us less severely, at least in emotional/shock terms. For everyone else, this is nothing more than a wake up call, pointing out that there’s no such thing as job security.
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Rob Frankel, http://www.RobFrankel.com
Direct: 818-990-8623 Cell: 818-692-1702 * E-Fax 413-778-0909
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http://www.robfrankelblog.com
