North Carolina’s jobless rate just rose to 9.8%...end of the year 2010 numbers show there was no change for the positive. I laugh when analysts get on the air and say, “Yeah but over 2,000 found jobs last month!”
Where’s the positive in a half full glass of milk that looks empty?
We’ve hit the stage of the game where we need to start borrowing what’s stuffed under our side of the Monopoly board or the next time someone passes go and tries to collect $200 they’ll be sent to jail for trespassing on bank property.
Basically meaning; materialistically, spiritually and physically the backbone of one of the thirteen original colonies is damaged beyond numbness and the sharp pain shooting through the lower part of its legs are forcing the system into a motion of stumbling.
401K’s are nothing more than thrashed out savings accounts. Self confidence has been placed on the endangered species list without crazy laws that keep hunters from wiping it out. Investing in a college education guarantees part time work at a fast food joint three cities to the left of your hometown.
That’s the State of the Union! And I didn’t even bring up gas prices, the cost of red delicious apples or how much you have to fork out to park your car uptown. The positive in all of this is very simple; no matter how bad the storm, strong the winds of change or evil the bosses look was at the end of the day Harris Teeter always offers a free cookie.
Elizabeth Highland wrote a book called Surviving the Unemployment Rollercoaster; the false ups, ill fated downs, weary twists and spins and in the end the greatest gift you hold is knowing you are not broken. If you allow yourself to grow through this time, you’ll become stronger every day.
I’m a solid believer in cross training; it’s having the courage to share with the person sitting next to you at the Monopoly board because in the real game of life there’s no such thing as lifting up the player pieces and starting all over. Too many of us live in the past and a smarter game requires the knowledge of what you’ve learned and combining with how you teach others to handle the out of control turns.
I’ve never said no to someone interested in radio. I might ask why they’d brave such a weird sport and usually come up with the answer, “It’s something I feel I’d be great at.” Is it something you can learn over a three month period at a vocation school? How long does it take to learn how to ski down the bunny slope? How many minutes were invested in figuring out the cell phone game Angry Bird?
The State of the Union should be, “I challenge American businesses to lay down their competitive swords and open their door to teach their art!”
Teach me how to sell a car! Take the time to properly train me how to fix a washer and drier. Rather than preach at church mastermind a plan that uses social networking to do exactly that; network the imagination of many into a single line of ready and able American’s who know more than how to spend money on the latest fad or box office attraction.
Show me how to properly cook a steak in an extremely busy restaurant kitchen. Let me understand the pressure employees are under to keep the tables clean and ready for a testy guest list. Make reality TV our reality by dropping the guard to cross train the future of our nation.
If I show you how to properly keep your voice in tune while speaking; that lesson in life could make you a better speaker at Sears, Home Depot and Office Max. If writers would band together to invite others to fall witness to the art of editing, no matter how much you text or email; what you sell or present will carry with it less to digest making what you have more valuable because we understand what you’re trying to say.
Don’t charge me money to figure out why roses don’t grow in my front yard…teach me how to take better care of the earth so your grand children have a place to plant your dreams when they’re middle aged. Stop charging me three bucks for ATM use and ease me into understanding the process of how a simple money request affects your barely held together staff.
It is time to cross train America!
CEO’s, company owners, GM’s and department heads aren’t the evil that lurks in the darkest corners of this giant strange blue planet. We are for taking what we’ve been taught and keeping it to better nobody but ourselves. What makes a Great Grand Master in Martial Arts isn’t how brilliant his or her kicks, punches and blocks are…its how they took what was shared and let it move through them by way of teaching. For 2,000 years Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu and Karate have been part of this planets continued growth. Tell me again how long your business has been open?
I’ll always believe in you first…
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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