What Lies Beneath Our Efforts?

Small Business Solopreneurs:

I'm going to back up a few steps. Given this week's news -- unemployment at 9.5% -- on its way, perhaps, to 10%; 6.5 million jobs lost, so far; stock market unable to hold the line; "Great Recession" gradually sinking into our collective consciousness -- what's to be done? I think all of us need to continue to prepare for the next big growth spurt!

Growth is inevitable, because life is made up of these curves: downturns and upswings. Right now, green energy and green building are the growth businesses we're aware of, and that only means there are and will be a multitude of new enterprises spawned by a new way of looking at what makes life satisfying.

What's Interesting:

Take simplification. At our house, we've figured out ways to cut our telephone bill, our property tax bill went down because residents voted down an increase in the school budget, our utility bill went down because the weather's been mild, and we're turning off power strips when not in use. We stopped delivery of the local daily paper, we don't go out to eat, see movies or concerts, or buy things. Stuart found a new cologne I like, but we didn't buy it, he goes to the mall on Saturdays and sprays it on. I discontinued one of my prescriptions and several supplements that hadn't totally proven their health benefit, and I sent Stuart out to sell an old piece of jewelry I don't wear. And none of this has been painful. It's not like we're eating cat food: we eat pricey beef hot dogs and organic baked beans! (joke) (sorta)

Neither of us is employed full time at the moment; we both freelance whenever we can get work. Neither of us qualifies for unemployment benefits -- there's no safety net for us. This involves some anxiety, interrupted sleep and stress-related health disorders. On the other hand, we are awake, alive and learning new things all the time. Stuart has expanded from real estate title closings to loan modifications to mortgage brokering. I am blogging, editing, writing, marketing, social networking, and optimizing.

What I'm thinking is:

Not only do we do whatever needs to be done, but we also try to keep a grip on what our values are, what is meaningful to us, our core values. We know we are best and most successful at what we love to do, what motivates us, what makes us feel valuable to our community. It's a bad recession, yes, and we are not only not young, we are past middle age. We know we can't retire, and we don't know how we'll pay for health care as we age. But we also know that we need to dream, to plug into what is important, and to help other people and ourselves.

Sustenance, motivation and meaning:

We've lived long enough to know that doing something "just for the money" is a poor choice. There is a balance point in the center of our talents, our motivations and our opportunities -- and that's where we want to be. Does this work have meaning for me, and can I convey that to customers? That's the question to ask. In my case, all the research shows that companies that spend on marketing during a recession come out ahead, and so I should be able to help some of those organizations, and in turn, they will help me.

Soapbox:

Values tied to work -- connection to a dream and to a community. Fear not -- join us now.