Starting Work
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It’s Over!
September 22, 2010
Earlier this week, the National Bureau of Economic Research announced that the longest recession our country has experienced since the Great Depression ended last summer. Though nearly all businesses and workers continue to struggle through the recovery, looking back, I suspect many of us found a few silver linings. In fact, as I’ve spoken to clients and acquaintances, many say the following “good” came out of the Great Recession:
People learned who would stick with them through good times and bad. I know several other small business owners who made the decision that they would not lay-off workers, no matter how much that decision cost them personally. And I still remember one of my clients saying, “This is more than business; this is personal.”
We became reacquainted with what’s really important. Nearly everyone I’ve spoken with agrees that the recession made us aware that the accumulation of more things isn’t necessarily desirable. People now report that their health, the well being of family members, and wonderful yet inexpensive experiences are of greater importance than the latest gadget.
Workers took advantage of the opportunity to spend more time with their family and friends. Soon after the downturn began in 2007, the family meal made a come back. In fact, if there’s been any downside to the recovery, it’s this: Businesses are pushing workers to produce more work, which inevitably cuts into family time.
Living small is back. Homebuyers no longer want McMansions—those 7000 square foot behemoths that were all the rage just five years ago. And as to personal fashion, the latest big thing is a movement to limit the number of items in one’s wardrobe to six items or less. Check out www.sixitemsorless.com.
Those of us who were able to continue working became grateful for those jobs. It’s true. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone complain about having to get up and go to work. Instead, we’ve been reminded that work is a good and honorable thing.
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