Over 2 million jobs have been eliminated from the work force in the last two years and they will not be coming back. This is in addition to the millions of jobs lost during the first decade of this century. Some of the hardest hit job markets have been construction, printing, travel, clerical and administration.
Many of these job losses were going to occur simply because corporations found ways to use technology to replace more expensive personnel. The print media and printed products are dying due to the wild expansion of the internet into the daily lives of millions of people. How many people actually write a check anymore? Have you noticed how small your Yellow Pages books are getting these days? I know I use Google if I want to find someone or something. This has led to a shockingly big number of over 40% of printers losing their jobs from the end of 2007 to the end of 2009. This number will continue to expand.
1 .7 million American workers employed in administrative and clerical occupations at the beginning of this recession (depression for the middle class in my humble opinion) were no longer working in these positions by then end of 2009.
How many people actually use travel agents anymore? The internet is filled with travel sites offering discounted fares and vacation packages.
Construction will never see a housing boom we experienced in the last fifteen years. Many of the the construction jobs, mortgage jobs, and supply house jobs will never return.
Stockholders of these companies making many of these changes recognize the importance of the bottom line. Most of these job losses do lead to “leaner and meaner” companies, adding to the profit column. In fact, last quarter was the highest level of productivity growth in 50 years. So… doesn’t record corporate profits make you giddy while standing in the unemployment line?
One portion of the population hardest hit is the over fifty crowd. Many fifty something workers will never return to the job force. Reasons for this include salary demands, diminished physical skills, and just plain age discrimination.
So what has this all led to? That the likely hood any job prospects for millions of workers that have been unemployed for months, sometime years, seems dismal at best. Certainly not in the professions that have seen the greatest losses in this recession. There best hope is to find new skill sets more in demand in this struggling economy.
Okay, that was the bad news. The good news is the internet is growing leaps and bounds every day and offers more income opportunities then ever before. This doesn’t mean just internet marketing. There are many positions available to those that have SEO skills, Social Media skills, and Website Development skills. With these skills you can freelance or work for someone else.
So don’t give up. Do some research and find what might appeal to you personally. Much of the work in the future will be done at a keyboard. Jump in, the water is just fine. Take action now.
Here is a favorite quote of mine for you to ponder over.
“It is not the magnitude of our actions, but the amount of love that is put into them, that matters.” — Mother Teresa
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Written by Joseph Merkle on June 26th, 2010 with no comments.
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Do any of you out there really think things are getting better? Still hoping for a decent job this year? This article reprinted from the Associated Press will shed some light on the subject for you. More news can be found on my website.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 20, 2010
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week by the largest amount in three months. The surge was a setback to hopes that layoffs were declining.
The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for unemployment benefits rose to 471,000 last week, up by 25,000 from the previous week. It was the first increase in five weeks and the biggest jump since a gain of 40,000 in February.
The forecast had been for claims to fall by around 4,000 from the previous week. The unexpectedly large rise underscored that even though the economy is growing, improvements in the labor market are coming in fits and starts.
The total for new claims was the highest since claims stood at 480,000 on April 10, the Labor Department said. It also pushed the average for the last four weeks to 453,500.
“Although no one expects this volatile series to go in one direction every single week, this is clearly a disappointment,” said Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.
Stocks slid at the opening bell as investors’ already bleak view of the world economy worsened with another drop in the euro and the disappointing United States employment news.
In a separate report, a private research group said its index of leading economic indicators dipped slightly in April. It was the first decline in more than a year. Six of the 10 components on the Conference Board’s index deteriorated. Among them: United States residents filed fewer applications to build homes; vendors were slower in delivering supplies to companies; the unemployed filed more claims for jobless aid; and consumers’ confidence dropped.
Lawmakers responded Thursday to the persistently high jobless rate by announcing a deal to extend expanded unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed through the end of the year. Laid-off workers would also continue to get subsidies to buy health insurance through the Cobra program. House leaders plan to vote on the bill Friday, with the Senate voting next week.
Employers are hiring again, but not at levels needed to make a dent in the unemployment rate. The jobless rate increased in April to 9.9 percent. An improving economy has lured those who had given up looking for work back into the labor market. The jump in the unemployment rate came even though payrolls rose last month by 290,000 jobs, the biggest gain in four years.
Analysts could trim their forecasts for job growth in May based on the sudden rise in new claims. The increase occurred in the week that the government conducts its survey for the monthly unemployment report.
The number of people receiving jobless benefits fell by 40,000 to 4.63 million for the week ending May 8.
However, that figure does not include unemployed workers who have exhausted their regular 26 weeks of benefits. An additional 5.3 million workers are receiving extended benefits paid for by the federal government for the week ending May 1.
For the week ending May 8, 35 states and territories had increases in applications for new jobless benefits and 18 saw declines.
The largest increases came in California, up 8,351 because of layoffs in service industries and manufacturing, and Michigan, up by 3,175 because of layoffs in the auto industry.
The states with the largest declines in jobless applications were New York, down by 3,144, because of fewer layoffs in transportation, services and manufacturing, and Kentucky, with a drop of 2,193.
This should be a grim reminder to seek self employment. If the internet is not your thing, maybe you have a talent or skill you can market. Property preservation (foreclosure cleanouts) is a booming business that requires little upfront money and little skill. Try to think of anything you can run from your home. My next post is going to be on a great internet marketing program that has turned things around for me personally and I am very enthusiastic about spreading the word.
Written by Joseph Merkle on May 20th, 2010 with 1 comment.
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I have many questions for you today. First, if you were going to write your autobiography, would it fill a postcard or be a thousand page novel?
Are you an “important” person with initials after your name? Do you fill your days with planners and business meetings? Are you so busy that you push aside the people and things that truly matter in your life?
Are you just an “average” Joe or Jane trying hard to make things work, struggling to get the kids off to school, get to work on time, make it to the soccer games, get dinner ready, and pay your bills on time?
Now it really doesn’t matter what category you fall under. What is your answer to the first question?
Do you want to tell your life story to the world? Do you feel the need to? Will it help others knowing your struggles or accomplishments? I am sure most of you can think of autobiographies you have read about historical figures or celebrities. Which one are you? Does it matter?
What do you think Mother Teresa would have written for her autobiography? My guess she would have scratched “I’ve tried to help the best I could” on a napkin. Can any of you think of another person that has influenced so many people in one lifetime?
Now, I am going to ask again, are you a postcard or novel candidate? More importantly, can you be fulfilled with a postcard life?
I don’t mean to infer that your life, no matter what category, is not filled with unique experiences, trying situations, drama, comedy, you name it. But, are you selfless enough to say I’ve tried my best, and leave it at that?
To me, setting priorities in life are much more important than setting goals. If the only priority you have in your entire lifetime is to help others you will achieve gifts that have no price tags. If setting and meeting your goals at any expense is more important to you, the gifts you receive will be fleeting.
Now as a businessman I set business goals. I work hard to achieve these goals. I never attain these goals at the expense of my priorities. Could I gain more wealth and prestige if I shoved aside my priorities? I believe I could, but at the expense of losing my soul. It’s just not worth it.
Which will you lead, a postcard or novel life? You choose.
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Written by Joseph Merkle on May 11th, 2010 with 3 comments.
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Hello all you very positive and enlightened readers. I have recently been belly to belly with many people lately that have suffered from job extinction. What I have found amazing is how many were not working for the large corporations. This surprised me. Many had worked for small construction and manufacturing firms that simply closed their doors. In better times they would simply have moved to another company. Alas, this is not so in today’s economy.
So…I started to think (always dangerous) just where the “jobs” market will be in five years from now. I have friends working for multi-national corporations that are worried for their jobs everyday. This is on top of serious pay cuts they have endured. It seems to me that these companies will continue to exploit the economic situation and continue to abuse the worker.
So what do you do if your “job” is a constant worry in your life? Do you get up every morning thinking about a decision you made or failed to make in your past that you think got you into the “job” which you worry about keeping into the future? Does all this have you really stressed out?
Here’s a tip. It is so simple that most people simply ignore it. This very moment, yes, the one where you are reading this post, is the only moment you can control. The past just clutters your mind with doubt and confusion. The future (if you are even going to have one) burdens you with worry and unfilled fantasies.
Trust in the moment. There is no ordinary moment. Trust in those decisions and act upon them without fear of consequence. Do what needs to be done NOW! Don’t wait until tomorrow. It may never come. The choices we make in the now will always lead us in the right direction. Life is the journey, not the destination.
The Doubting Thomases will point out that this is not responsible, that each step of your life should be planned out. I want you to honest with yourselves here. I bet that most of your most cherished, awe inspiring, and love at first site life events were spontaneous. Sometimes silly and nonsensical acts made without thought of consequence.
Those of you who are concerned for their jobs and careers need to perform some personal reflection. At this moment, this very moment, do you want your job? Quick, yes or no. Do you love what you do? Are you worried you will lose your home or other possessions? Do you think you are capable of dropping all the fear and clutter rolling around in that head of yours?
Here is a list of simple things to work on. To live in the now you must experience the moment. What do you see, here, feel, taste, smell this very instant? What can you do this very moment to feel better about your life? Not about your life tomorrow, or a week from now, but right now. When your life becomes a series of moments you allow yourself to be guided towards those things which are beneficial in your life. The key is to always trust it.
Okay I have babbled enough. Just want to leave you with one of my favorite quotes. “There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts” ~ Richard Bach
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Written by Joseph Merkle on May 3rd, 2010 with 8 comments.
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I came across an article I just had to share with you. I for one agree with the well thought out points made by Don Peck in the Atlantic Journal, March 2010 issue.
The Great Recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is probably just beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults. It will leave an indelible imprint on many blue-collar men. It could cripple marriage as an institution in many communities. It may already be plunging many inner cities into a despair not seen for decades. Ultimately, it is likely to warp our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years to come.
How should we characterize the economic period we have now entered? After nearly two brutal years, the Great Recession appears to be over, at least technically. Yet a return to normalcy seems far off. By some measures, each recession since the 1980s has retreated more slowly than the one before it. In one sense, we never fully recovered from the last one, in 2001: the share of the civilian population with a job never returned to its previous peak before this downturn began, and incomes were stagnant throughout the decade. Still, the weakness that lingered through much of the 2000s shouldn’t be confused with the trauma of the past two years, a trauma that will remain heavy for quite some time.
The unemployment rate hit 10 percent in October, and there are good reasons to believe that by 2011, 2012, even 2014, it will have declined only a little. Late last year, the average duration of unemployment surpassed six months, the first time that has happened since 1948, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking that number. As of this writing, for every open job in the U.S., six people are actively looking for work.
All of these figures understate the magnitude of the jobs crisis. The broadest measure of unemployment and underemployment (which includes people who want to work but have stopped actively searching for a job, along with those who want full-time jobs but can find only part-time work) reached 17.4 percent in October, which appears to be the highest figure since the 1930s. And for large swaths of society—young adults, men, minorities—that figure was much higher (among teenagers, for instance, even the narrowest measure of unemployment stood at roughly 27 percent). One recent survey showed that 44 percent of families had experienced a job loss, a reduction in hours, or a pay cut in the past year.
The Long Road Ahead
Since last spring, when fears of economic apocalypse began to ebb, we’ve been treated to an alphabet soup of predictions about the recovery. Various economists have suggested that it might look like a V (a strong and rapid rebound), a U (slower), a W (reflecting the possibility of a double-dip recession), or, most alarming, an L (no recovery in demand or jobs for years: a lost decade). This summer, with all the good letters already taken, the former labor secretary Robert Reich wrote on his blog that the recovery might actually be shaped like an X (the imagery is elusive, but Reich’s argument was that there can be no recovery until we find an entirely new model of economic growth).
Historically, financial crises have spawned long periods of economic malaise, and this crisis, so far, has been true to form. Despite the bailouts, many banks’ balance sheets remain weak; more than 140 banks failed in 2009. As a result, banks have kept lending standards tight, frustrating the efforts of small businesses—which have accounted for almost half of all job losses—to invest or rehire. Exports seem unlikely to provide much of a boost; although China, India, Brazil, and some other emerging markets are growing quickly again, Europe and Japan—both major markets for U.S. exports—remain weak. And in any case, exports make up only about 13 percent of total U.S. production; even if they were to grow quickly, the impact would be muted.
Most recessions end when people start spending again, but for the foreseeable future, U.S. consumer demand is unlikely to propel strong economic growth. As of November, one in seven mortgages was delinquent, up from one in 10 a year earlier. As many as one in four houses may now be underwater, and the ratio of household debt to GDP, about 65 percent in the mid-1990s, is roughly 100 percent today. It is not merely animal spirits that are keeping people from spending freely (though those spirits are dour). Heavy debt and large losses of wealth have forced spending onto a lower path.
So what is the engine that will pull the U.S. back onto a strong growth path? That turns out to be a hard question. The New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who fears a lost decade, said in a lecture at the London School of Economics last summer that he has “no idea” how the economy could quickly return to strong, sustainable growth. Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com, told the Associated Press last fall, “I think the unemployment rate will be permanently higher, or at least higher for the foreseeable future. The collective psyche has changed as a result of what we’ve been through. And we’re going to be different as a result.”
One big reason that the economy stabilized last summer and fall is the stimulus; the Congressional Budget Office estimates that without the stimulus, growth would have been anywhere from
The economy now sits in a hole more than 10 million jobs deep—that’s the number required to get back to 5 percent unemployment, the rate we had before the recession started, and one that’s been more or less typical for a generation. And because the population is growing and new people are continually coming onto the job market, we need to produce roughly 1.5 million new jobs a year—about 125,000 a month—just to keep from sinking deeper.
And even within industries that are likely to bounce back smartly, temporary layoffs have generally given way to the permanent elimination of jobs, the result of workplace restructuring. Manufacturing jobs have of course been moving overseas for decades, and still are; but recently, the outsourcing of much white-collar work has become possible. Companies that have cut domestic payrolls to the bone in this recession may choose to rebuild them in Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Bangalore, accelerating off-shoring decisions that otherwise might have occurred over many years.
New jobs will come open in the U.S. But many will have different skill requirements than the old ones. “In a sense,” says Gary Burtless, a labor economist at the Brookings Institution, “every time someone’s laid off now, they need to start all over. They don’t even know what industry they’ll be in next.”
“We haven’t seen anything like this before: a really deep recession combined with a really extended period, maybe as much as eight years, all told, of highly elevated unemployment,” Shierholz told me. “We’re about to see a big national experiment on stress.”
Is there a way to avoid this stress? Well, yes there is. Since the employment situation is going to be deficient for years to come I recommend self employment. I have been blogging now for some time how the internet is the savior for those who have lost their jobs and will never see them again.
But, the internet is not the only creative outlet for those interested in starting their own business. Many new opportunities are coming to light in this miserable recession. “Green” businesses are a hot items. Property preservation is growing leaps and bounds because of the unending foreclosure crisis.
My point is that one must look for something that excites you, stimulates those creative juices so you can avoid the stress that will be a national consciousness.
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Written by Joseph Merkle on April 19th, 2010 with 1 comment.
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Job extinction and the middle path. What does one have to do with the other? Our government is still giving huge tax incentives to companies that are moving oversees. How much sense does that make for all of the Americans faced with permanent job loss? This is why more and more are turning to the internet for a possible income. To help all those struggling out there with the bombardment of continuous bad news I would like to share a simply philosophy with you.
We all have friends that go through life at warp speed. It’s a great life until they crash and burn. How many times have we helped just such a friend pick up the pieces? And then we have our downer friends, you know, the ones that you wonder why they haven’t committed suicide yet.
If we live long enough most of us attain certain knowledge by attrition. And this little gem is simply to walk the middle path.
Now our crash and burn friends will say of this simple philosophy, “Where’s the fun in that? You have to hit the lowest lows to appreciate the highest highs.” Our downer friends are so negative anything outside their shuttered minds is incomprehensible. Well, the irony of all of this is that one rarely steps onto the middle path without experiencing these points of view first.
The middle path is rarely a goal one sets for oneself. It’s more of a destination one eventually arrives at. Most of us don’t start by “walking” on this path. It’s more like tripping over it at first.
After enough crash and burn sessions hopefully one arrives at the conclusion that life can offer comfort as well as excitement. Does walking the middle path mean one has become old and boring? That you give up striving to succeed? Just the opposite is true. It allows our goals and dreams to assimilate into a receptive state of consciousness. Your goals become easier to attain because you are getting out of your own way and allowing these things to happen for you.
The internet marketing business is very much like this. You have your mega gurus who crank out new projects every 3-6 months. They tell you how much money they make (some really are), how great their products are (some really are), and how easy it is for you to do the same thing (yeah, right). Do you have a mailing list of 100,000+ subscribers you can sell to? Do you have tens of thousands of dollars to pay for ads?
Then there are the reluctant internet marketers, or our “downer friends.” This person is very skeptical. They really don’t believe anyone can make money online. But because they really hate their jobs, bosses, or through sheer desperation they end up searching for months and months looking for the right program to join. Sound like anyone you know?
Almost immediately upon receiving their program they realize they actually have to work at it. That alone gets seventy five percent of them to say, “See. I told you that you can’t make any money online!”
Now the other twenty five percent will spend some time, gain some rudimentary knowledge, bad rap the program (there are many bogus plans out there), and then start hopping from one opportunity to the next until most just give up and quit.
Then there is the middle path. The one all newbies will hopefully trip over enough times to recognize it. I know from my own personal experience that pursuing the crash and burn products will bloody your nose more often then not. I don’t include myself in the “downer” category, simply because I steadfastly believed that with perseverance comes success.
So…how does one find that middle path. I wish I could tell you to just follow someone’s advice. But like in life, one rarely applies this sane wisdom. So you will go through hard knocks. You will make stupid mistakes. But, you will be amazed at how much you have learned when you finally drop away the clutter and step on the middle path. More on this in my next post.
Written by Joseph Merkle on March 12th, 2010 with 5 comments.
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I apologize in advance, but today’s post is me venting on the state of affairs.
My first rant is on the bank bonuses. Our Gross Domestic Product is 14.2 trillion dollars. The bank bonuses are in effect 1% of our GDP. That just staggers the mind. The money being paid out to the bank employees could pay for a full year of maximum unemployment benefits for nearly 2.5 million people. WOW! And I mean WOW! And the best part of this that the people who caused this economic meltdown are the only ones recovering from it. I hope all of you feel really good that you could help the starving bankers through this depression.
My next rant is on the Supreme Court decision to sell our country to the highest corporate bidders. Free speech my ass. How much free speech will we have when the corporations elect every politician over the next two election cycles. They will then legislate only what is profitable for them. Do you think you will be able to sue any corporations for bad business practices? Come to think of it, do you think that there will be any lawyers willing to sue corporations for fear of future disbarment? Kiss unions goodbye. They will be the first on the hit list. Wages will deteriorate. Benefits will be nonexistent. How long will it take for them to legislate internet usage. Can anyone say China? Make your moving plans to leave the country soon. Of the world’s top 100 economies, 51 are corporations. We now live in the United International Corporations of America.
One more rant. If you all recall a large portion of the TARP money was supposed to buy toxic assets from the banks so they could have funds available for home loans and small business loans. How’s that working out. It boggles my mind that the residential real estate market is near collapse and nothing, and I mean nothing is being done about it. It’s okay to bailout the banks but Joe the plumber could just bend over and take it up the …. I just wonder if the same attitude will be taken when the commercial real estate collapse occurs next year. The banks have more invested in that market and we will probably throw tax dollars at that also. In the meantime maybe we can start a game show and call it Let’s Make A Foreclosure. Across the Midwest home sales fell 19% between November and December. The major concern for realtors is that the Federal Reserve is set to end its program to buy mortgage securities that help keep mortgage rates low. This is due to end March 31.
Our economy as it stands today is fraught with pitfalls. Government spending has patched this mess together, but the politics of debt will soon put restrictions on spending. So where will the influx of money come from? Can’t count on the consumers for years to come. Certainly not from the housing market, although with the continued price drops first time buyers and investors should remain active. Large corporations have made nice corporate profits on the backs of job cuts, and those won’t be coming back anytime soon. Small business remains our only hope, and many need to be aggressive in advertising and renewed inventories due to the last two years of necessary neglect.
Despite the grim forecast I personally hold out hope things will improve by the last quarter of this year. I don’t know how that will happen, but their are sectors of the economy doing well (internet sales) and I hope it can become contagious. I know it is difficult for many, but if we can put a smile on faces and faith in our neighbors, maybe we get this mess turned around.
Written by Joseph Merkle on February 22nd, 2010 with 1 comment.
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I know in my last post I said I was going to concentrate more on building success on the internet. I will touch on that a little at the end of this post. But over the holidays my mind began to wander (again lol) on what really makes us satisfied. So…
Are you a slave to your possessions? Do you work harder, longer hours just to have that new toy? Do you go from one new toy to the next expecting to feel fulfilled? Are you enchanted from drinking Circe’s elixir?
Possessions should not possess you. Your life goals should not be about what you can own, rather they should be about what can you give back. How many of us go about our daily lives wondering just why we spend our days performing tasks which fail to uplift or motivate us and others to achieve more from ourselves?
Just stop and think how you feel when you get a new car, big screen TV, clothes and other goodies. Makes you feel real good, but the feeling fades rather quickly. Now think about how you feel when you help a friend, coworker, family member, or total stranger. Those feelings run deeper and are more satisfying.
This is what I find to be the greatest reason to get involved with an internet business(es). The ability to help others is nearly unlimited. If you are a carpenter that runs a small remodel business you can have a small number of clients who appreciate the work you do for them and are willing to tell their friends to call on you. You should feel gratitude and a sense of satisfaction from this.
If you start a blog online about how to hang kitchen cabinets or install a dishwasher etc., you could be helping hundreds or thousands of people around the world help themselves. Now how cool is that? If you bring the same amount of attention to your internet business (your blog) as you do your offline business the rewards will follow, both personally and economically.
Now this is just one example. This can be done by anyone who has a passion and is willing to share it with others. Just choose to share your knowledge and passion with the world. Follow blogs and forums with common interests. To check out some forums visit www.big-boards.com/ and to check out blogs this site is helpful blogsearch.google.com/.
You can start blogging for free by going to wordpress.com/ or www.blogger.com/start. This is a great way to begin your blogging experience. When you are comfortable with the blog process I recommend getting a host provider and your own domain name. Another source for getting your message out is Squidoo. You will create a “lens page” that acts as a mini website. This service is also free and can help spread your message.
So once again my message is to take that first step. Jump in and test the water.
Written by Joseph Merkle on January 12th, 2010 with 20 comments.
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I have been giving the plight of the American worker a great deal of thought lately. How exactly did we get into this mess we’re in? Why did this country’s economy remain relatively sound prior to the industrial revolution and become a roller coaster ride since?
My first revelation on these matters is this: most early Americans worked for themselves. They were cobblers, blacksmiths, farmers, and all matter of self-employed business men. The rare employees were often apprentices learning their craft so they in turn could start their own businesses or take over the family business.
The industrial revolution changed all this. Large corporations came into existence. This had three effects.
- Many of the small businesses could not compete in the new environment.
- The need for a large number of employees.
- Lobbyists became a profitable commodity.
Early employees were little more than slaves. Not until child labor laws and unions came into existence did the employee have any chance of being treated like a human being.
At what juncture did Americans arrive at the conclusion that being employed by a company that looks at you as just a number is better than striving for, and often struggling to, obtain individual success through ingenuity and hard work? When were we bought?
When I was a young man learning my trade as an apprentice many of the companies were owned by men who came up from the street through hard work and earned knowledge of their business. I think this is another problem American businesses share in today’s world. Many of the corporate leaders have wonderful plaques hanging on their office walls from fine universities. Unfortunately, many lack the simple “street” knowledge of what it is like to bleed for something you have worked so hard to build into a successful, thriving business. They have invested no sweat equity.
So along comes this depression and many employees find themselves jobless. In all honesty, many of these jobs will go the way of the dinosaurs. But there is a bright side to all of this. Many of the jobless are once again finding that great American entrepreneurial spirit. Granted it is frequently due to desperation. But the outcome is the same, that being Americans are again ready to put some sweat and ingenuity into making something for themselves.
The world wide web has created a large share of these opportunities. The little guy or gal on the block can now get their product seen by the 1.6 million internet users around the clock seven days a week.
This allows Joe the plumber to compete with the Wal-Marts of the world. Now can anyone just get on the internet and become successful overnight? Not really. It takes time and effort just like any business start up. But the initial investment is small compared to offline businesses and internet sales is up 7% in 2009.
I have started up and sold two offline businesses in my life. I worked on average fourteen hours a day six to seven days a week. I am now involved with multiple income streams on the internet and average four to six hours a day. The information available online is simply mind numbing. The key is locking in on the pertinent information necessary for your particle business.
In my future posts I will concentrate on ways to find information that will actually help you build successful internet businesses. Until then I truly wish Happy Holidays for all you. May the blessings be.
Written by Joseph Merkle on December 7th, 2009 with 3 comments.
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Today I want to expound upon the “rut”, commonly referred to as the “the box” we often find ourselves living in.
So that begs the question, what is a box? It has four sides a top and a bottom. This also describes a cage. Now here is the funny thing. When an animal is first placed in a box or cage their first instinct is to make every attempt to escape from said box. But it doesn’t take long for them to feel a sense of security while in this cage. What frightened them in the beginning (feeling caged) now becomes their “security” blanket.
So what we have here is two categories of animals, which from here on I will call “people”. We have those that are fearful of “boxes” and those that find comfort in them.
The American Indian tribes lived for thousands of years without the apparent need for boxes. They shared a communal bond with nature. When the European settlers tried to box them in they did what any animal would. They fought to escape. Eventually the fight wore them down. They were “caged” on their reservations and became less than themselves, finding little happiness. Many used alcohol as their escape. So they never really stopped trying to escape. It just turned from a physical exercise to a mental one.
On the opposite side of this coin I have met many people who would enter a state of shock if forced from their “boxes”. Most of us in the industrial nations have known no other life. We were born in a box, raised in a box, educated in a box, led to believe we have to own our own box, and most often die in a box. We travel in a box, frequently vacation in a box, and build entire villages made of boxes. The sad part of this is most of us never even give a thought to what is “outside the box”. Unless of course a commercial tells us to.
Let me give all of you a sobering thought. While we live in our box we are limited to what fits in that box. Outside those four sides, top, and bottom lies unlimited opportunities. Most of us “people” simply can’t fathom a life “outside the box”. Our entire lives we were led to believe that the comfort of our “boxes” was a little piece of heaven on earth. The sad part of this is we were never the animal that tried to escape when first being caged. We never experienced being separated from a world that provided freedom of choice.
Fear is a powerful motivator. It motivates an animal to escape when first caged. On the other hand, it motivates people to try just about anything to remain secure inside their boxes. Point in mind is how they will live entire lifetimes in a rut, just to ensure their sense of security. They will perform tasks that they often hate, endure conditions which make them miserable for years on end, just to provide a cage for themselves.
The need for security is a normal, healthy emotion. Relying on a “box” to provide that security is what has become the pacifier of the human experience. This is exactly what politicians and corporate rulers exploit to their advantage. Society provides the necessary drugs and drinking establishments to provide the mental cages. Their biggest fear is that people will not only think outside the box, but can eventually learn that “real” security cannot be found in a box. They simply do not want us to realize we have the choice to lead a full, happy, vibrant life outside the box.
The irony in today’s horrible economy is that many of us are finding our “boxes” crumbling down upon our heads. Many are losing the jobs that they hate, being forced to find alternatives “outside the box.” Many are losing their homes they relied upon for their security blanket (although most won’t admit to that fact). What they are finding is that life exists outside their “ruts” and “boxes”. The lessons learned here are not easy ones. Like a toddler that has just had its pacifier taken away, there is much crying and fussing. But in the end the dependence for pacifiers is broken.
Millions of people around the globe will have permanently lost their jobs when this depression ends. Jobs that will never return. Hard choices will have to be made. Many will take jobs they held as high school teenagers just to bring in some money. Going from a “rut” they hated to a worse one.
The road will not be an easy one for those that choose to break those ruts. They will need the determination to succeed in a world they know little of and previously never contemplated being successful in. Many will try this avenue and many will fail. They will quit and go running back to their security blanket not knowing they were so close to escaping those cages.
So the question you need to ask yourself is this. Do you want to be secure in “ruts” and “boxes”, or do you want to be secure in the knowledge that many more life “choices” exist outside the box. If you choose to step through the cage door I invite you to explore some internet opportunities on My Sites page.
Written by Joseph Merkle on November 25th, 2009 with 8 comments.
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