Three reasons I love this recession

Don't get me wrong. For me, and so many others I know, 2009 has been a train wreck. There's nothing I'd like better than to have that Haitian from Heroes come and make me forget all about the last seven months. But it's here and it's real, so I figured I might as well find some reasons to be happy. Here are three:

1. I've had more time.

• More time to work on my novel, something I've dreamed of finishing for the last eight years. I'm already half way through my first manuscript.
• More time to get out and network. I've met so many new people this year. People who have helped me when I had questions, and people I've been able to assist. And, most importantly, people who are tons of fun to be around.
• More time to do things with my kids. This year, I've gone to every school party, assembly, and special event my kids have had. We've visited the zoo and zoombezi bay. We've read more books, watched more movies, and created more art.

2. I've strengthened my personal relationships.
There's nothing like hard times to tell you who your real friends are. The ones who listen to your worries, offer advice, and pick you up when you're down. I can't say I'm overly fond of needing so much support, but my friends and family have given it freely and in spades. I've always felt fortunate, but it never hurts to be reminded how loved you are.

3. I've found peace in living more simply.
Cutting back our expenses was hard at first, but now I find I honestly don't miss any of that extra stuff. My near daily trip to the Starbucks drive through has been replaced with a peaceful mug of coffee at home. Netflix took the place of cable for a $70 monthly savings. I never realized how much of my life I've been wasting flipping through channels and watching commercials, but no more. Our family trip out to eat has become a special event, now that we only do it once a week.

When things turn around, I don't think I'll go back to the way things were.

What reasons can you find to love this recession?

Don't get stuck on the insignificant

As a child, I loved to read the poems of Shel Silverstein. I read them now to my own children.

As an adult, I'm continually amazed at the deep meaning in much of his work, and I wonder how I ever missed it when I was little.

Here is a favorite of mine, from A Light in the Attic. It's a story that I'm sure I witnessed at least a hundred times while working in corporate America.

THE TOAD AND THE KANGAROO

Said the Toad to the Kangaroo
"I can hop and so can you.
So if we marry we'll have a child
Who can jump a mountain or hop a mile
And we can call it a Toadaroo,"
Said the hopeful Toad to the Kangaroo.

Said the Kangaroo, "My dear,
What a perfectly lovely idea.
I would most gladly marry you.
But as for having a Toadaroo,
I'd rather we call it a Kangaroad,"
Said the Kangaroo to the frowning Toad.

So they argued but couldn't agree
On Rangatoo or Kangaree
And finally the Toad said, I don't give a dang
If it's a Rootakoad or a Toadakang-
I really don't feel like marrying you!"
"Fine with me," said the Kangaroo.

And the Toad had no more to say,
And the Kangaroo just hopped away.
And they never married or had a child
That could jump a mountain or hop a mile.
What a loss - what a shame -
Just 'cause they couldn't agree on a name.

How many big ideas have you missed out on because you couldn't let go of a small detail?

Keep trying

Last Saturday, my husband and I took our children to Slate Run Historical Farm. A great outing, even if you don't have kids. It's a working farm, still doing things the way they did back in the 1800s.

In the yard of the farm house, they've got a bunch of old time games. One of them was stilts, which we all attempted.

Now, to say that I am not athletically inclined is an understatement. Watch the video below to see what I'm talking about.

Take note of how I make stilts look like an impossible feat, and my husband Dan makes it look as easy as walking.



Do you ever feel like this in your job? Like you try and fail over and over, and then someone comes along and does it with no effort at all?

When that happens, often we just want to give up. I know, because I've been there. But I'd advise you to do one of two things instead:

1. Keep trying and have faith you'll get it eventually. Don't worry about the other guy. There's likely room for more than one person in your market with that skill.
2. Figure out a way to work together with the other person and leverage their skills. Maybe you're good at something they've been trying.

What did I do in the stilt situation? I kept trying. And by the end of our time at Slate Run, I was walking on those stilts confidently enough to challenge Dan to a stilt race. Of course, he still beat me pretty badly, but I guess there's room for two stilt walkers at Slate Run.

Compromise – key to developing strong relationships

Recently, I had to compromise on a decision that was very important to me. I’m usually a pretty low key, go with the flow kind of girl. But on this one, I planted my feet in and flat out refused to cooperate. I tried reasoning. I tried begging. I tried coming up with alternative options. None of it worked. In the end, I gave in and made the compromise.

But, I’ve got to admit, I learned a few things.

What compromise is not:

• A license to say “I told you so” later
• An excuse to pout after the decision is made
• A stick to hold over the other party’s head, so that they remember they owe you one later

I found out that what compromise is, is one of the best ways to build a strong relationship and gain an ally. When someone recognizes that you are conceding a lot to go with their decision, you’ll earn a little respect. When you take their decision and run with it like it was your own (instead of trudging along, still holding a grudge that you didn’t get your way), you’ll earn a loyal friend.

And honestly? After a few weeks to think about it, I think the decision we made was right after all.

Last post at Blogger

Well, after several weeks of stops and starts, I've finally relaunched my site. The changes are minimal, but I moved it over to WordPress to make it easier to manage. That means my blog is moving there too.

So all you loyal readers that subscribe via RSS will have to make the switch. Thanks for sticking with me!

Those of you who subscribe via e-mail (thanks my mom, my sister, and Vicki)... uh, well... I'm still trying to figure out how to do that with WordPress. It's a learning curve, ok? lol! In the mean time, I'll give you a free lesson on using a reader. And WordPress experts? If you've got a solution, let me know!

See you at my new site.