Rise above

While it's true that the news has become depressing each day, this article by Ben Stein is a source of inspiration for us to be always on our toes and not allow ourselves to be part of the statistics.

"If you spend the day reading about how bad things are, you will never get out of bed. If you put down the paper and get to work, and then work twice as hard and twice as smart as you used to, and maybe take less pay right up front, you will get ahead.

Here is a lesson from my father: In every economic era, there is always a shortage of talented, creative, well-educated workers. Be one of those workers.

I think of my pal Barron Thomas, a talented salesman of airplanes and related items and services. Since the recession hit in earnest in the fall, I hardly get to talk to him. Why? Because he works all the time. He makes the deals the other guys are too lazy or short-sighted to make. If you absolutely, positively want it to be sold, if you want to buy at the best price, you go to Barron Thomas. The flight world knows it, and he gets sales. Plus, he doesn't get depressed, because he's working too hard to get depressed. He gets that endorphin rush, that glorious feeling of self-esteem one gets from working hard and being exhausted at the end of a successful day.

My point isn't to plug Barron. He's got a huge reputation already. My point is to tell you that the hard-working people will still get work. They will have money to spend. They will spend it, and eventually it will pull us out of this darned recession."

It will take years before we feel the (positive?) effects of President Obama's stimulus package. In between that time and now, what are we supposed to do? Wait in vain? Sulk in depression? Diss our jobs?

One thing I'm sure about is that there will be people who, despite the awful economic situation, will rise above and still be successful. And by the time the recession is over, they already have a huge head start.