Folks, after months of recovery talk, everyone’s back to worrying about the Recession. Rumors are spreading about a “double dip” from lackluster growth and European debt. Turn to any news and opinion source, and you’re bound to find gloom and doom.
Consumer Reports cites a survey claiming that the Recession has made us more depressed, more angry, and more likely to scream or shout.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Remember that economies fluctuate. Even the most planned economies cannot fully predict availability of supply or demand, or foresee irresponsible behavior. That’s just how it is.
The good news is that downward isn’t a permanent direction, and the bad news is that
We have to adjust. We have to adjust our lifestyle and spending habits to reflect an economy that is not growing as fast as in the past. We have to accept that many of our pay cuts and job losses are permanent— there was overkill in the market in the first place.
Gloomy? No, realistic. We can appreciate what we have when we stop worrying about what we don’t.
The recession affects everyone. Try to find a person who hasn’t been affected yet. Try. Not even NBA stars and celebrity pundits have been immune.
When we understand that this experience is collective, we no longer see ourselves as singled out as a “failure”.
But are you saving? The Solvency Shark hopes that you have cut your discretionary spending in the last year and a half. He hopes that have gone through your budget and singled out waste. He hopes that you have been paying off your debts (on time), and not using your credit cards to accrue more.
Is there a secret to riding out a recession? There could be. Appreciating what you have, then taking care of it might be it.
If you appreciate your money, you save it. If you appreciate your solvency, you work to pay off your debts.
It’s not easy. But who said hard times should be easy?
Even if you don’t have a job, you can be thankful for many things. Even if you’re consumed by debt, you can take the little steps to take to make it better.
That’s survival.
Anyway: my name is Alexander Carl. I am a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I spent four blissful years earning a degree in Communication Studies. Now I face the real world of economic downturns, student loans, and the absence of “academic” camaraderie.
Yet I refuse to be bummed. My economic philosophy is to live simply, save, and maximize whatever I can. Consumer culture is undeniably pervasive, but you don’t have to sell your soul to co-exist with it— there is great power from using your economic resources wisely.
I started writing when I figured out how to hold a pencil. Since then I’ve written short stories, poetry, screenplays, and have blogged. In fact, three of my screenplays have been produced into short films, two of which I directed. I’m no stranger to the media, having served as a DJ at a freeform radio station and worked as a crew member for live TV.
Pastimes include traveling (I’ll visit virtually anywhere), swimming, jogging, hiking, and hunkering down with a good movie.
Overall I’m a peaceful person, though not in a creepy New Agey way. I get my energy from music, good conversation, and the outdoors (I was an active Boy Scout, earning my Eagle). I consider myself “inquisitive” and “wry”, and for the sake of autobiography I’ll assume that I am.
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