SiteStaying up in a down economy
Tonight I got an e-mail from a self-help guru announcing that for the low price of $597 (which I could pay in three installments), I could learn the secrets of staying up in a down economy — and get some free CDs as well. Smarm factor aside, something in the sales pitch got my attention. A simple question: “Who says you can’t make money during a recession?”
A couple months ago, I noticed I got really anxious every time I read our local newspaper. It seemed like every day, there was more glum news about our tanking economy or stories about middle-class folks in my neighborhood shopping at half-empty food banks. The classified sections were filled with foreclosure notices, sometimes a dozen a day. I’d put the paper down and feel bad for the rest of the afternoon — not a good place to be when your job requires a can-do attitude. I began to think stuff like, “Why bother pitching? They’re probably not buying anyway.” Yikes!
One night it hit me, that I was actually having a pretty good year despite the economy. I’d actually had to turn down some work a few times. I decided to stop reading the paper. When I told my mother, she was shocked. “How will you know what’s going on in the world?” she sputtered. “There are the elections! The economy! Iraq!” To which I answered I’d have to be living under a copy of Finnegans Wake on Britney Spears’ bookshelf to miss any news about the elections (Obama’s in/Clinton’s out) or the economy (bad day on Wall Street last week) or Iraq (hey, one of my brothers just got back from northern Iraq, best news of all!) I notice that on my media diet, I’m feeling less stressed and anxious, and that old can-do Burrell spirit is back in spades.
So back to that huckster’s question. Who says you can’t make money — or sell a book or crack a dream market or make enough money to move to full-time freelancing — during a recession? It’s not your local paper, although it can contribute. The answer may be staring back at you in the mirror. I’m certainly not advising you to stick your head in the sand or to jam your fingers in your ears every time there’s bad news about magazine ad numbers or layoffs on Madison Avenue. Just notice how information like this affects you and your marketing efforts, and think about how you can use the information to support your work, not bring it down. All around you, writers are selling book proposals to publishing houses — subscribe to PublishersLunch if you don’t believe me. Last I heard, the New Yorker is still buying. I know dozens and dozens of writers who are having anywhere from a stellar year to a pretty darn good year, considering the E word. Hearsay, yes, but take a look around yourself. Not everything is doom and gloom, as much as newspaper editors would love you to believe. [db]
10 Responses to “Staying up in a down economy”
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Charmian Christie
Said this on June 10th, 2008 at 8:22am:I went on a news fast a few years ago and it was wonderful. Andrew Weil suggested it in one of his books and at first I thought it was a bit naive. But once I tried it, I realized I was stressing out about things I couldn’t change. Now I’m more selective about what I read in the news. Okay, I miss the odd important item, but for the most part, I know what’s going on — especially in my writing field.
Excuse the cliche, but sometimes ignorance is bliss.
Toni
Said this on June 10th, 2008 at 9:12am:Well said, Diana. Years ago I read a suggestion in a book on wellness to consider going on a “news diet,” and I did. Gave up local broadcast news–which is topped today only by the obsessive coverage about missing kids on cable news networks–and never went back. Now when I see a local news show, I’m astonished by the blatant fear-mongering.
Oddly enough, I’m still in touch with the world, but on my terms; I don’t even have a headline ticker on my Internet home page. I read a small local paper and honestly don’t miss the rest.
Also: the Finnegan’s Wake line? May be my favorite ever.
Megan
Said this on June 16th, 2008 at 5:11pm:I absolutely agree! Once I noticed that television news coverage–especially the 24 hour cable news that likes to beat a dead horse to fill in airtime–made my anxiety skyrocket. I turned off the t.v. & now rely completely on internet and print media for my news coverage. I sometimes wonder if I am doing my children an injustice because I distinctly remember having conversations about local & world news events with my parents after the evening news. However, I suspect that it may have contributed to the anxiety problems that I have experienced as an adult. Bottom line: it’s more important to feel sane, less stressed and/or depressed and it’s not like I’m living with my head in the sand.
Megan
Said this on June 16th, 2008 at 5:17pm:As for the topic at hand (”staying up in a down economy”), I tend to have moments of panic, especially as I am filling up my automobile or buying milk, but the reality is, I am still buying gasoline & milk and so is everyone else around me. I have a portrait photography business and I always think “I’ve got to get out of this business. It’s not like people are going to spend money on portraiture when things are tight.” But again, the reality is that my phone has been ringing off of the hook lately and I have steady business despite the state of the economy. It is easy to be pursuaded by the overall facts/figures, but those facts/figures may not apply to your life at all!
Kathy
Said this on June 24th, 2008 at 2:25pm:Great topic and I so agree. Why binge on depressing news? We all know more positive things happening in the world that don’t get reported, but if you watch the news, you get the feeling everything is bad out there. Negativity feeds on itself and becomes self-fulfilled prophecy. I try to stay in touch with the important things by browsing online
Chin Up, or at Least Keep Your Head Above Water: Staying Positive and Finding Employment During Recession
Said this on July 18th, 2008 at 1:23pm:[...] - as “The Renegade Writer” points out - no one wants to pay a writer who is mired in gloom and doom. I would suggest that [...]
C. Laeuse
Said this on August 9th, 2008 at 6:07pm:The news I heard just now is positive:)
Ryan
Said this on August 17th, 2008 at 4:50am:Sometimes you have to listen to negativity. You can’t just close your ears at bad news. That doesn’t mean the bad news will go away until you didn’t face or find a solution to it
Dawn
Said this on August 17th, 2008 at 2:44pm:What I would like to say is to live happy don’t take tensions and forget these sad news:)
Emagrecer
Said this on September 11th, 2008 at 9:01am:There is always a lot of fear mongering that is right. If the economy goes down and you loose 10% of your revenue you are not going to go bankrupt, but if you are worrying about it and loosing productivity you might loose 15% of your business. For me personally, it is a battle to stay concentrated on important and positive things, always try to do it more and more.