What Do You See?

"See things as you would have them be, instead of as they are."
- Robert Collier

I found this quote to be quite interesting because at first thought I realized I don't really know what I see in either case. How would I describe the way things are today, and how would I have them be if it were up to me? I feel like many of us today are just trying to stay afloat as we continue to read about the recession and scramble to figure out what's next. Some of us are feeling the contractions of the economy and are just waiting to see what it gives birth to, while others of us are aggressively taking advantage of today's opportunities that crop up during times of instability.

As I mentioned in my first blog entry, I'm blogging for balance, so my take on this is that if you can understand "how things are," as well as "how you would have them be" then you can strike an effective balance between the two. It's important to not get too caught up in much of the media's focus on the troubled economy, especially if it's not hitting you hard at work or at home. On the flip side, it's important to recognize the state of the economy as there is much that can be learned in times like these. There has been a lot of exposure on wasteful and excess spending, and with less to spend and waste, I feel like many Americans are truly learning what they need, as opposed to what they want. So finding an even balance between both extremes would be to realize that you don't need everything that you want when the means aren't available, but that there may be opportunities that you hadn't previously considered that may ultimately enrich your life.

Naturally this applies in both your personal and professional life. I know a few people that don't go to Starbucks every morning like they used to or dine out every night because it was convenient. Now they're getting more creative at home, making the dollar seem to stretch much further. Even in my company, at one point, we had five more employees in 2007 than we do today and we're bringing in more revenue now than we did then. We're fortunate we didn't have to lay anyone off due to the economy, but we see that those extra employees weren't a necessity. Our business is at a good balance of enough work for enough employees, and we're all better off for it.

So take a few moments to think about "how things are" and consider "how you would have them be," then find a balance to push ahead. You never know what can come of it, but once you figure it out you can probably look back and see you had control of the situation the entire time.