The Gift of Recession
March 7, 2009 by admin
Filed under A Good Story, Brooke Green, Current Affairs
With all this talk about the country being in a recession, it has brought back memories of my own “personal recession.” The funny thing is I look back on it with fondness, not scarcity or fear.
It all started when I took the giant leap to follow my passion and come to work with Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale as a consultant and trainer. I had enjoyed a successful career in logistics with a company and people that I loved. But, as sometimes happens, you get pulled by an undeniable force to do something new.
It took me a year to make the decision, but I finally did it. You have to understand that with that decision came a clean slate—no clients, no income. My family and I were okay with that because we had planned accordingly. What is it they say ”the best laid plans”? Yeah, one week into my “dream” my husband was laid off. So, welcome to my personal recession.
No income. No benefits.
Oh, and did I mention it was one week before Thanksgiving!
Don’t get me wrong, the “fond” feelings were not immediate. There were feelings of panic and fear. We let ourselves live that for about two days, but then it was time to get on with it. I’m happy to say that my husband found a job within three weeks, and I landed my first client within three months. So what does this have to do with our country’s current situation and our place in it? The value is in the lessons that I learned and how I experienced my life during this tough time.
- We were PRESENT. When you don’t know what the future holds, you tend to live in the present—appreciating, hearing, feeling everything that is now. Sometimes we get so busy we go on autopilot. We don’t remember half of what we feel, think or experience during our day. I was a nicer person.
- We appreciated EVERYTHING. We made our choices about how to spend our money very carefully. If we went to a movie with our son, we really made a big deal about it. It was an event. Something so simple is so special if you are present. Starbucks becomes a treat and not a medication. Long walks became a time to explore, talk.
- Speaking of money. It was the first time, in a long time, that we paid attention—what was going out, what was coming in, what we owed, what we bought. This period of time made us financially healthy. We actually paid off more debt and saved more money. We realized how spoiled we are and how little we really need to live a great life.
- We needed each other. I felt like my husband, son and I were a pack that couldn’t be infiltrated. No worry, no bad feelings—we were going to get through this. They were my rock, my place of shelter.
My hope during this time is that we can get back to the simple things—respecting, caring and helping our neighbors. Mostly, when we come out of this, which we will, I hope we remember the good things.
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