We Survived 2011!

The New Year is approaching quickly.  In approximately two weeks, we will be celebrating 2012.  This year came and went extremely fast.  It went so quickly that it seems sort of a blur.  For many, this year seemed to have been filled with worry, distress and discontentment. 

 

The economic recovery does not feel like a recovery at all.  Globally, our super power status as the world leader has diminished significantly and the American dollar is weak abroad.  In the U.S., the unemployment rate remains high, home values are depressed, oil prices are still high, and state budgets are in deep trouble.  This sets the stage for more layoffs and deeper government cuts.  We’ve been told that the economy is growing, but life for many Americans is not getting better.  Some people may consider 2011 as well as previous years, a continuous typhoon.  We didn't get here over night, but the economic condition transpired over time.  How we got to where we are is no longer relevant.  What we really need is a fix.  

Of all the woes we faced this year; we survived!  We grew stronger, and we live on to believe that there is a better and brighter future before us.  The next year is an election year, and we will decide if we want to stay focused or change courses.  We will contemplate who is best to lead us into a better tomorrow.  Each direction has risks and uncertainties. 

All of us have all been affected by the economy in some way, whether it has affected us personally, our family members, friends or acquaintances.  The fact remains that it has affected some of us more devastating than others.  For some, the economic conditions are irritating and nagging; yet for others, it is sheer survival.  My heart goes out to all who experience that level of devastation.  

Since the economy turned for the worse, it may have hit us hard and knocked us down, but we somehow got by.  We are still here and we withstood it all.  For that reason, we are blessed.  Our strong will to survive is still within us. 

I leave you with some quotes from Winston Churchill.

• “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
• “If you are going through hell, keep going.”
• “Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”
• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
• “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

As I look toward the New Year, I am cautiously optimistic of an emergence of new and exciting things to come. 

I wish you an abundance of blessings this coming year!

~ Joseph Conrod Sr. SPHR