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Money, Jobs, Our Tools
& Thriving with a Purpose
We hear a lot these days about what we need: mostly more jobs, economic fixes and—from a growing number—less BP (Big Petroleum) and more alternative energy. Yes!!
Obviously we have an election coming up too, so we expect to hear that one side can do no wrong, and the other no right. Our official interpreters—the pol parties—let us know, as does the media—the unofficial ones—who also spin a lot of he-said/she-said tunes—in a balanced way, of course.
Yes, the economy is a big issue for most of us/US. However, I also think that if there is a demographic that will survive and thrive in “down” times, it’s the one reading TLC.
Listening to the media, we may forget how many resources we have and how many tools we’ve picked up going to seminars and workshops. They expand our outlook and horizons—while offering the “opportunity” to throw away some things that don’t serve us.
We may also forget that not everyone has been exposed to concepts that help them deal with the circumstances and changes in the world today. Just knowing, for instance, that operating from fear and being really, really attached to or controlling how things unfold, just doesn’t work. Making decisions while in a state of fear and panic draws to us what we fear.
It’s easy to see that in kids. They get flustered and unfocused and things get worse. We tell them to slow down, relax, it’ll be okay. Could someone mention that to the tea party?
There are a lot of tools and perspectives that define the more fearless ones who I think read TLC and go to the events found on these pages. In my experience they are less fearful just by being willing to challenge and look at themselves. That willingness is an internal strength that helps us live in our much-too-often chaotic world.
The result is being less of a victim of circumstances and more proactive about how our lives turn out. And also accepting that sometimes we’re along for the ride, and for the moment our attitude may be all we can adjust. I have to wonder if not being able to adjust to change or seeing a personal path of action is part of the chaos we see around us/US.
In this issue you’ll find Peggy Rometo who presents a process for better understanding and building on those significant events that look chaotic to us. We also have a couple of viewpoints on the choices we make about money. Louix Dor Dempriey, who has an ashram in Laguna Hills, offers one perspective in “The End of Poverty.”
Another perspective is by DC Cordova, a longtime friend and teacher of mine, who is the CEO of Money & You® and Excellerated Business Schools®.
I highly recommend her Money & You® course. When the economy slowed down a couple of years ago, the print media was especially hard hit, closing several of the nation’s largest magazines in this demographic. This year, fortunately, things have progressively picked up and gotten better.
I realize that what I did when things slowed down is work more on the business, the systems, and getting more efficient. That’s part of what DC teaches. There’s much more, because the course is also about a ground of being that enables you to be successful in business. I’d go on, but it’s truly an experiential as well as practical workshop, especially in seeing the importance of community and working together.
Big business today often seems to forget they are part of the community too. Looking at big business, it seems that greed and dominance—more than just the desire for profit—has become the goal.
Think about George Steinbrenner, the iconic owner of the New York Yankees baseball team who recently passed away. People have talked about how successful he was and how many championships his teams won—as well as how tough he was to work for. He was characterized on TV’s Seinfeld as being totally unreasonable with an “off-with-their-head” approach. Those who worked with him verified this as very accurate. He fired one of his managers five different times.
I will get more into what he did on my new blog, Musings AboutUs.com. Briefly, having the richest team and market in baseball, he bought the best free agent players, giving them more money than small-market teams could. He destroyed the competitive balance in baseball, but his teams won. Even today some people ask, “Are you a Yankee fan or a baseball fan?”
It also makes the San Diego Padres success this year so unique and laudable. They emphasize winning as a team, not gaining individual stats. Their payroll is about 20% of the Yankees.
I wonder how much Steinbrenner enjoyed baseball, or life? Now his legendary yelling and screaming is being fondly laughed at. He’s called a “winner” who contributed to charity. Should that make him a role model for kids, business, or anyone?
Unfortunately this win at all costs approach is admired. We see it today when business seeks out the government to make their competitive advantage legal. Attempting to make high-speed Internet available only to the largest corporations is a current example.
Wouldn’t it be something if instead of contributing to charity because of one’s financial success, that shifted to the desire to contribute being the purpose of a business? Such as contributing to something seen as worthy, or changing some condition in the world?
What if businesses operated with such a perspective? What if that were the reason people wanted to accumulate wealth? Even when we were kids, wasn’t it disturbing when someone wanted all the toys for themselves? I applaud those who contribute along the way, with time or money, whatever they have, instead of making contribution an afterthought.
Unfortunately, many politicians and wanna-be office holders seem to side with Steinbrenner. The “game” is about power, money and winning at all costs. They chant emotional hot buttons, such as “more jobs,” but don’t show us they can accomplish what they call for. In fact, almost all of them are multi-millionaires who could have done the things they call for already—but didn’t. So, why do they seek office? To create jobs for us/US—or for them?
People are barely considered when economists calculate how the economy is doing. The current recovery has been one without job creation and jobs may not come back the same way they have before. If they don’t right away, do we as a society look at individuals without jobs as “deadbeats?” Or do we look at them as part of our community that will also affect our lives? What interesting and changing times.
It’s probably good news that entrepreneurs—with hundreds of millions of dollars—are not creating most of the new jobs. Isn’t it more empowering knowing regular people who see a niche and step ahead are creating them? It makes me appreciate the proactive, such as this demographic, even more.
Have a great month,
PS: If you think it’s strange that kombucha is being banned, see www.MusingsAboutUs.com