How bad do you need it?
Apr 01, 2011
Times are tough. Home prices continue to fall. Gas prices and food prices continue to climb. Unemployment just dropped to 8.8%, but it sure doesn’t feel like it’s getting any better. We keep hearing that things are looking up. If that’s true, I would hate to see what happens if things get worse again!
I get it: the economy sucks. But instead of sitting around and complaining about it, I think we should view it as an opportunity to reprioritize what’s really important to each of us.
When the economy was booming, we got comfortable…maybe too comfortable. I’ve seen it over and over again in the business world and in people’s personal lives. As the cost of many necessities continues to grow, we need to reevaluate the difference between things we NEED versus things we WANT. Many people have convinced themselves they NEED the stuff they actually just WANT. The result? Hard economic times have taken a much tougher toll on these people than necessary. People have grown accustomed to too much ‘fluff.’ So now, instead of sucking it up and pushing forward, they’re sitting around complaining about the good ole’ days.
Easy for me to say? Maybe. But I never want to run the risk of getting too comfortable. That’s why I wake up each and every day reminding myself of what it was like to be broke. When I was just starting out in my career, building Zimmerman from nothing, it was easy to distinguish needs from wants. It made me dig deeper, try harder and fight for my life. And I accomplished more than I ever thought possible, because I had to – it was do or die time. I resolved to always keep that edge and that same hunger and drive, no matter how successful I was. And I have.
That mentality has served me well throughout my life. Each and every one of us needs to ask ourselves, what do I really NEED in life? What’s worth fighting for? If you’re building a business, what do you need to stay afloat, versus what do you just want? Figure it out. Then focus all your energy on those things. Be relentless. Be ruthless. Be single-minded. In the end, you’ll be stronger for it, in good times and in bad.
LINKS:
Fox Business – Home Prices Fall Again
You Sleep When You Die – Pain at the Pump
Bureau of Labor Statistics – Economic News Release
Great one JZ…always got to stay hungry. That’s how you get (and stay) on top.
Aaron@Biebert
JZ- Right on the money! There are to many people that use our economy, as bad as it is, as an excuse to be lazy. Wrong answer! This is time to define who you are and what you’re made of. Great post!
Its amazing how far people are responding to change though. As the price climb people are reorganizing their priorities a lot quicker then economist expected.