New Economy

One of my favorite blogs, EconoWhiner, made a couple of points on one of her blogs, regarding what to do if you find yourself unemployed. She suggests, among other things, taking this time to really think about things you might want to do, other than what your last job might have been. Since my last job was five years ago working in the medical field, and had nothing to do with all those years of education I struggled through, I began to think ... maybe now is the time to write that book. It has nagged me for years. Many possible topics have come and gone in my imaginary book. Should I write about losing my mother at age six? How about my friend, Mike, who is a one-man anomaly? What about families? A work of fiction? It goes on and on.

But it was that particular blog topic that got me to thinking. She suggests honing skills you may need in this new economy. And it will be a new economy, believe me. I do not see us in the next decade doing the same things that we have done over the last two. For one thing, credit will not be available the way that it has been. That doesn't mean that people won't have jobs, or that we will all turn into roving bands of misfits. But it very well could mean that people will live in a reduced economic environment. I predict that conspicuous consumption will go the way of the dinosaur. It will no longer be as cool to tote your Prada bag, drive your BMW, and flash your bling with the same flare as you once did. It is going to take this economy a long time to rev back up, if it ever does. Many people have been living like millionaires, on salaries way below that level. They have used credit cards to look and act like Paris Hilton, and I think this is going to change. Consumerism, on the scale we are used to, is on it's way out. This meltdown has proven that it cannot, and should not, be sustained.

On that note, back to the blog that got me to thinking about writing. There is no better time to hone skills that could take you into the future. Whatever they may be. My husband and I are thinking about writing books. They may never get picked up, but the mental exercise will not be lost. For you, maybe it is starting a business out of your home, or taking a computer class, or going to cosmetology school. I don't think what you do is as important as taking this opportunity to try new things, especially those things that have always been in the back of your mind. I believe we are all here for a reason. We are born into this world with a task to complete. What is yours?