» Illegitimi non carborundum.« Motto of US Army general “Vinegar” Joe Stillwell (1883-1946)
Recently, a friend of my mine posted a comment on Facebook asking the question, “At some point, feeling bad ends, right?” He was feeling great frustration within his workplace and his ability to grow both professionally and financially. Within minutes of his posting, 30 of his Facebook friends jumped to his aid by providing him with affirmations that everything in life changes and yes, indeed, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It was a pretty good example of the swift ability of social networking to impact a life, and also a great example of how one life can act as a symbol for the masses.
At a time when unemployment has reached just over 9 percent, Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a New York-based industry consultant and investment bank, recently stated in the article “Still No One Shopping” in Forbes, “As long as the consumer has no job growth and no income growth, he [effectively] has a salary cut.” With job dissatisfaction and financial stress being top causes of depression in this nation, a simple reality exists: Times are tough for everyone. While some are certainly feeling it more than others, there is a wash of hopelessness over our abilities to guide our own destinies, grow our careers, grow our salaries and make any headway in rebuilding our personal fiscal houses.
But, if you start to look around, there are glimmers of light shining, and these little spots of light are starting to spread (think of that old Hasbro game, Lite-Brite). The headline in yesterday’s digital edition of the Wall Street Journal read, “All bad things must end—economists say recession is over.” And even more uplifting for our industry in particular is this statement from the article: “‘Economists are calling for an inventory-driven recovery. With goods on their shelves now at low levels, businesses will have to order more in order to restock. This could turn into a virtuous cycle leading to more and more production. Even if it is slow and cautious, the change from drawdown to buildup will require additional production …’ said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors.”
So my response to my Facebook friend is, yes, feeling bad does end. With time, tenacity and patience, the average American employee, from manufacturing to sales, will begin to feel those wheels that came to a grinding halt turn once again. And that feeling of having some ability to guide your own destiny and direct your own future will be back in your hands.
