Joy and Balance

Economic Disaster Predicted! Stop Listening to the Economists and Start Enjoying Life

In yet another report on the downward spiral of the economy, CNN reported Saturday that there will probably be more jobs lost as the economy gets worse in 2009.  Strangely, most economists didn't seem to be able to predict this recession when we were already a year into it.  They had no idea that almost overnight major companies like Lehman Brothers and AIG would risk going out of business.  So why do we think they have any better capacity to see the future now?  Why are we letting their negative picture of the world be the very air we breathe?  It's time for us all to turn off the TV, look away from the internet, put down the paper, and start living our lives again.

I am not suggesting that we pretend that we are not in the middle of a financial crisis.  We all know that times are very hard.  But in the midst of this crisis we are being offered a profound opportunity to reflect on what is really important to us.   And we have the opportunity to imagine and create a future that includes those things that we truly value.

In conversations with friends and colleagues, I keep hearing the same things lately.   All this consumerism that has been driving us is not what makes us happy.   All you have to do is turn on the radio and you'll know that we are a country obsessed with love (and umbrellas for some reason).  We value human relationships, caring, connecting and loving one another.   We value the families we are born into and those that we create for ourselves.  And we value this beautiful planet that we call home.

For individuals, research repeatedly tells us that the future that we imagine is the one that we are most likely to head towards.   In part, this is because we look for opportunities that will lead us there both consciously and subconsciously.  If we know we want to go to the park but aren't sure exactly how to get there, we can begin to ask people for directions, look for maps, do internet searches, wander in the right direction.   I am convinced that the same is true for us culturally.  Throughout American history, when we have set our collective hearts and minds on a goal, we have moved toward it.  So let's imagine a future for this country that is worth living.

For my part, I will stop listening to the economic projections that seem to be based more in fantasy than reality and begin to envision a country where everyone has work that they love, where everyone has love that fills them up, and everyone has a passion that sustains and drives them.  What's your vision for our country?  What will you imagine bringing into our world?  I would love to hear your ideas!

Scott Mills,Ph.D. is a life coach and consultant working to create passion, purpose and power in the lives of extraordinary people just like you. You can read more of his blogs or find out more about him at www.joyandbalance.com

Stop Thinking Obama is Santa: How Everyday People Can Create Real Change in America

Barack Obama's election has changed everything and nothing at the same time.   His election has brought hope back to America in a time where many of us have felt hopeless.  It has opened the possiblities for people of color all over the country. What it hasn't done is fundamentally change the political system.   When Clinton was elected, a man from a town called hope, we believed that everything would change.   And while a lot did, again the political system remained fundamentally intact.   The only way that the system can change is if the American people invest our hearts, minds and bodies in the process.  It isn't enough to make our Christmas list for Obama and tell him if we don't get what we want he won't be re-elected in four years.   We have to engage change at every level of our lives.

I have some ideas for places to start.  More than anything I want a wider conversation and broader action arising to create these changes.  Here's what I am thinking.  I hope that you will join in this conversation with me.

1. Compassionately question everything.  Until November 4th, I lived in a world that told me that a black man could not be elected President.  It turns out what I was told was wrong.  What else have I been told that might be different.  Could everyone have health care?  Should everyone have a right to work?  Is it possible that everyone could enjoy their work?  Could we start loving people more than we love things?

2. Start living more simply.  I know that I am trapped by my desires.  I can't spend a month volunteering if I want to pay my bills.  Some of my friends feel like they can't risk speaking out if they want to keep their jobs.  But for me, and most people I know, the four dollar cups of coffee aren't really making us happy.  Neither are the big houses and expensive cars.  They are filling our lives so we don't notice how much we are really missing.  Most of us can start living more simply right away.  What's one thing that you could let go of today that would create more space in your life?

3. Start engaging in the Alternative Economic System.  All over the country there are local barter systems where you can trade your skills for the skills of another.   Lots of places call them barter systems.  Sometimes they are very organized and are referred to as time banks.  Other times you just put an ad up on craigslist.  This is one of the easiest ways to make your life a bit more simple and to create a relationship with your hairstylist or masseur or gardner.  (I have begun a listing of time banks and other AESs on my site.  Please send me links to yours with the location so I can help get the word out.)

4. Engage in every opportunity that we can to speak our truth and act on it.  Any skill that is worth having takes practice to build up.  Exercising the courage to come out of every closet that you live in, to speak your truth and to act with compassion and justice takes practice as well.  It can start small.  Maybe it will be a conversation with your grandmother about how you feel about the war.  Maybe it will be showing up for a protest or making phone calls.  But the more we connect to each other, the more we speak our truth and listen to each other, and the more we act to create change, the more sustainable change in this country becomes a possibility.

I am not willing to wait for January 22nd for the inaugeration of hope.  It's been sparked in me and I'm ready to live it.  What will you do to make real and lasting change in America happen?  What are you willing to commit to?  Please share your ideas.

Scott Mills,Ph.D. is a life coach and consultant working to create passion, purpose and power in the lives of extraordinary people just like you. You can read more of his blogs or find out more about him at www.joyandbalance.com