Ten Truths I Have Learned From The Current Economic Crisis

1. I am responsible for my situation. Unlike politicians, I am unable to blame the “other” party for my financial or employment situation. I am responsible for my choices, and I do not expect my employer to “bail me out”.

2. Do not expect loyalty to count for much. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve worked for my employer. If economics dictate that I need to take a pay cut or that my position needs to be eliminated due to these economic factors, so be it. In other words, “Don’t take it personal, it’s just business.”

3. Expect a lifestyle change. If my pay is going to be reduced, or I am laid off, my lifestyle will have to change. I used to go out to dinner about twice a month and treat myself to a massage once a month. Now I am taking this time to better my culinary skills at home, and a hot shower will have to suffice for the massage. I consider this lifestyle change temporary, as I expect things to get better for all of us.

4. Have or create a financial plan. It’s extremely important now to know where my money is going. Any extra funds should go to paying off debt. I recommend reading or listening to Dave Ramsey – the man has been dead broke – and knows what it’s like to be financially strapped, and what it means to find financial peace.

5. Explore new opportunities. Take this time to reflect on what is working in your life. If you need (or would like) to make a change in your life, now may be the time to explore that opportunity. It could mean going back to school, learning a new hobby, or in my case, trying my hand at writing.

6. Commit to helping others. There is enough doom and gloom being broadcast to us everyday. It would be easy for me to adopt a “look out for number one” attitude. I believe that by helping others, I will expand my horizons and perhaps open a door for a new opportunity. We need to count on each other to help get through this time.

7. Don’t be afraid (or too proud) to ask for help. I have been guilty of this in the past. I thought it was a sign of weakness to ask for help. I have learned that it takes a strong person to realize and acknowledge that sometimes I need assistance.

8. Don’t stay angry. I’m only human. It’s natural to get upset with a pay reduction or layoff. However, if I stay angry I believe that I blind myself to new opportunities (like a new job). Besides, no one likes to be around a person with an agenda against the world.

9. Keep your sense of humor. Sometimes I just have to take a mental step back and laugh at my situation. How the heck did I (we) get here?! I still enjoy going to movies, reading books and having fun with friends because I like to laugh and I follow Truth # 8.

10. Have faith. I believe that when God closes one door, He opens another. I have faith that I will be led down the right path and that I will survive this situation. For those that lack faith – I recommend you explore your heart, because it’s easier to let someone else shoulder the load, and God has pretty big shoulders. To quote Joseph Dunninger, “For those that believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not believe, none will suffice.”

Some time ago, I posted about working a 70-hour work week for an arbitrary compensation amount. My point was not to piss off my boss (which it did), but to point out the fact that working that much is not healthy. "Died of Stress" is not something that I want on my tombstone.

So here's some info that I got from Tim Ferriss' web site. Tim is the author of "The Four Hour Workweek and is a person that I admire because he is living life on his terms.

From Tim's blog:

If you know someone who is a workaholic in denial, or who thinks an 80-hour workweek is a good way to spend their limited time on this planet, go for a lifestyle intervention and send them the LQ calculator. It might just wake them up faster than a triple-espresso frapuccino.

Enter the new world of the Lifestyle Quotient (LQ). If you want to see the real facts of your current work-life (im)balance, check out the world’s first LQ calculator here http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/lifestyle-quotient/. The results will probably shock you.

What is your LQ?
What do you guesstimate your boss’s LQ to be?
What about your father or mother’s LQ compared to your own?

The point is folks, there is life outside of the Inbox. My LQ? A shocking 2.19%. I spend 344 hours working for one day of vacation. That's 14.33 days!

So as the "stress twitch" in my eye kicks in I'm getting on with a new life. Go discover yours. I'm on my way now, hope to meet you down the road.

Ronnie James Dio...

Good ole Ronnie James Dio. Been hearing a lot of his songs on the radio station. A few things I have observed about Mr. Dio's writing:

1. If you eliminate the words heaven, hell, dancer, rainbow, dark, light, dragon, sun; you would cripple his ability to write a song.

2. What do any of his songs mean?? Have you listened to "Holy Diver"?

Holy Diver
You've been down too long in the midnight sea
Oh what's becoming of me
Ride the tiger

You can see his stripes but you know he's clean
Oh don't you see what I mean
Gotta get away
Holy Diver

Wha?? Frankly, I don't see what you mean. Green. Been. Seen. Lean. As a former hard rocker myself, it's a crutch to end a lyric line with "Don't you see (or don't you know) what I mean". Not to solely pick on Mr. Dio, but I am planning to write a coffee table book that features other non-sensical song lyrics.

Just had to get that off my chest.

The Prodigal Packer.

I'm a lifelong Green Bay Packer fan. I've lived and died with Brett Favre's gameplay; his amazing tenacity, toughness - the ability to throw a huge overtime touchdown pass or rip your guts out with an INT. But enough is enough. I'm tired of hearing that Brett holds all the cards in the "will he come back" scenario. BULL****. If I was management, here's how I'd handle the situation:

You wanna come back? Fine. You're the backup. Period. You will get into the game if Aaron gets hurt. We need to move on Brett. We've loved everything you have done for this organization but here's what it is. You will not be released, you will not be traded to another team (so you can come back to hurt us in a playoff game). You can help us by being a gracious backup, and if we need you, you're good to go. After your contract is done, you are free to pursue employment with another team.

Take it or keep enjoying retirement.

70-hour work week for $????

Open question? Would you put in a 70-hour for a $???? bonus? Let me clarify: would you put in a 70-hour work week on a 90 - 180 day basis for an extra $????. What amount of money would be the magic number for you? I was given a number today...it was the wrong number.

Things are busy for me over at www.divergreen.com. So busy that I don't have time for a 70-hour work week (in one spot).

It's about time.

At the urging of my better half, I've decided to update the blog. No promises on doing this more frequently, (though I should), so without further delay:

I've created an entry in Getty Images Ultimate Creative Pitch contest. The brief was "an idea that will change the world." My entry - "Spread Compassion". You can see and vote (please vote) for my entry here:

http://www.gettyimagesultimate.com/usa/gallery.aspx?id=ea7431be-dd7b-4cca-8471-c3fb4ba2ef1f

A smaller, less detailed version is at the top of this page. :-)

I think you have to navigate to page 6 of the entries right now to see and vote for me. As more entries get added, I get bumped down. But - the more votes I get, the better. So if you believe that the world needs more compassion, do your part by being nice to someone, even anonymously, heck even be nice to Tom Cruise...and then please vote for my entry.

Other news to follow, including the creation of the Spread Compassion web site, as well as my own art and design company.....Ewwwww...Scary!

A movie test.

	My Flixster