Economic Downturn is Opportunity

Waking up to see the falling stock market as the main article on CNN is getting old. Hearing the NPR newcasters skirting around the r-word (that which must not be named—recession! Gasp!) is beyond tiring. Watching the federal government throw money at us in order to fix the economy is a little backward.

I’m happy to finally see someone talk about the up side. And of course, it’s Seth Godin:

“Change (and the fortunes that go with it) is almost always made during the down part of the cycle. It might not be fun, but it’s exciting.”

Losing your job is never easy, but it is an opportunity. Despite what everyone is saying, recession isn’t the end of the world.

2 thoughts on “Economic Downturn is Opportunity”

  1. It’s an easy thing to say when it doesn’t involve you. Losing a job may indeed be an opportunity, but it’s also stressful, and affects every aspect of your life, and every relationship that you have. Try going three months without a paycheck, buying health insurance out of your own pocket,having to pay a mortgage on a house that you can’t sell with a tenant who likes to pay late (very late), and rent so that you have a roof over your own head, along with medical bills for major surgery, and all of the other bills that everyone has to pay, and then tell me about the up side.

  2. I said it wasn’t easy. And I’ve been there myself. I went at least six months without a paycheck when I lost my job in 2003.

    It is hard and stressful and crazy. But it’s also a chance to find something new. It’s an opportunity to see what you’re made of. It’s a chance to reassess and see if you really need all the things you thought you needed.

    And Seth Godin’s point is that it’s during these downturns when people don’t have any other options that they try the crazy ideas that become brilliant companies. People get creative when they’re backed into a corner. That’s the upside.

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