Look no further than the headlines to discover reasons to just give up. The Today Show on NBC this morning hyped the question of whether or not we’re on the edge of another great depression. Yesterday, the market tanked and brushed against its lowest levels since 1997. By now, almost all of us know someone that has been laid off or otherwise negatively impacted in this economy. But another Great Depression, really!?!
There’s nothing “great” about a depression and in fact there is no definition of a depression. Economists are only able to assess whether a depression (might have) occurred after the fact, and it’s typically identified by negative 10% GDP over several quarters. Instead of carrying needless worry about falling into a depression, let’s just assume we’re in one right now. Let’s call it the GR8 Depression – my nod to us thumb-pecking mobile text’ers and web 2.0 aficionados.
O.K. So now that we’re in the GR8 Depression, what does that mean? The answer is resoundingly nothing! We still have to get up early every morning, work hard, be productive, use our ingenuity, make miracles happen, go to bed, and repeat. Let me be clear that cutting costs and scaling back is never a strategy…it’s a means to extend the way. This is the GR8est time to be working on new technology because resource constraints drive resourcefulness and inventiveness. Now is the time to take risks, because what is there really left to lose?
Instead of addressing the “cup half full” vs. the “cup half empty” scenario, consider taking the cup and throwing (‘er smashing) it against the wall. If chicken sh*ts with their doom n’ gloom are wasting your time, kindly ask them to get out of your way before you’re forced to walk right over them. See, we don’t have time for people of rhetoric or soft spines. There’s a job to be done and if a team member, a vendor, or anybody else is getting in your way, rest assured there is someone else out there that can make it happen.
Don’t allow challenges to affect your intentions. Positive intentions are the first step in creating reality. The support system for the positive reality you wish to create is good planning. If you write down where you intend to be in 3 months, 6 months, and a year, it is much more likely that you’ll take the steps necessary to arrive there. Trust me, we’re going to come out of this and the turning point is within each of us. Those who are planning and executing today will be rewarded tomorrow.
I don’t know any poor farmers but I know many poor technologists. Don’t let the factors of lessening demand scare you. There is a ton of money out there to be had. Remember that you’re in business to make money and making money is good. Money is flying by you all the time and you just need to create the shovel to dig some up. The world will pay you for GR8 technology.
Just like the inscrutable wave of pessimism that has washed across our country, you can be the shoreline buffering innovation and progress. Sneeze your virus of optimism and certainty on every plate and doorknob you meet. Carry yourself with confidence and you’ll soon suck up others within the vacuum of your GR8 momentum.
Lastly, and most importantly, believe technology is GR8. Remember that it is solving some of the world’s GR8’est problems. The antonym of a depression is surge, and surge is a strong, wavelike, forward movement. Join the GR8 Surge, release your fear, and unleash your intentions on the world.
Editor’s Note: Lief Larson is President of Workface, Inc., an entrepreneurial adventure that includes offerings like BusinessCard2, and will be a contributor to Minnov8 periodically.