frankly speaking

2 months ago

Reflections on 2011

2010 was not a good year for me. I’ll spare you the details, suffice to say that the year ended with a thud. My professional life was spiraling out of control fast, so fast in fact that it was beginning to affect my personal life. I was unsure of where I wanted to be and where I wanted to go.

What a difference a year makes.

I’ve spent the last few days reflecting on 2011 and specifically reviewing all of the professional and personal goals that I set out to attain. I can’t say that I checked every one of them off the list, but I came pretty damn close. I can say that at the end of this year, I’m heading in the exact opposite direction as I was heading in at the end of 2010.

So, what changed?

During the first few months of the year, I consciously rededicated my life to living up to ethics and morals that were taught to me while growing up, regardless of what it would cost me. I made some some changes in my personal life that resulted in unexpected positive outcomes in my professional life.

I know this post is pretty cryptic and it was kind of meant to be that way. The point of it is to say that when you focus on change, and most of all changing for the right reasons, it can result in positive things that you never thought possible.

I’m also trying to say that no matter where you are in life, you can always make a decision to change. Whether things are going well for you, or your back is up against the wall. You have the power to change. The outcomes that result will not always be favorable, but the key is to learn how you got to those outcomes and adjust as necessary.

4 months ago

The Others

Like a lot of my colleagues and friends, I’ve taken great interest in the #occupywallstreet movement that is taking place in many cities across the nation. Unlike some of the people involved, I don’t cleanly fit in either the 1% or the 99%, so I’ve been watching to try and really figure out what this is about and where I belong.

I don’t belong in the 1% crowd - I don’t own a yacht or a plane, nor do I make over one million dollars a year. Also, I believe I could afford to pay more taxes (as long as they didn’t go to pay for idiotic wars or pay for ‘green’ technology that has thus far proved to be useless). I do think the inequality that exists has run away with itself, but this is more of a function of capitalism rather than ignorance (or maybe it’s ignorance rather than capitalism - but that’s a blog post for another time).

Unlike some of the 99%, I’m not faced with crushing debt, chronic unemployment or general disillusionment. I don’t think banking is (in and of itself) immoral nor do I think all politicians are corrupt and self-interested (call me naive). Sure, I’ve had some bad luck in the past couple years, but I’ve managed to battle my way back and now I feel like I’m on top of the world.

I do think the country has lost its way. I don’t think we are the greatest in the world, but I do think we offer people the most opportunity and hope for success. I do hope (again, perhaps naively) that we will once again find our way and again regain our place as the country everyone in the world looks to leadership in hard times.

To be honest, I was feeling quite lost about this #occupywallstreet movement but then I came across this blog from Brendan today about how some of the others are feeling and very well articulates how I feel:

We have only one thing in common with the rest of the 99% – we hate where we are headed.

We hate that we blindly accepted finance and consulting as what all the smart grads did.
We hate that we were sold on nobility, fortune, and a brand name that our parents would love.
We hate that the 16 hour days we work make no dent in the world.

We are crew members on the 1% ship, and we want mutiny. Fortunately, we have the connections, information, money and fury to lead it.

What happens because of this movement in the next weeks and months will be very telling towards where we had as a country. We have the power to effectuate the change that was promised to us 3 years ago. The bar is not high. We, however, have to be willing to just do it.

6 months ago

Haves and Have-Nots: Thoughts from Unconscious Pessimism

The other day I was catching up with a friend on the phone and he made a point that I had been thinking about subconsciously for the last little while - the fact that our society is more and more turning into the haves and the have-nots. Below are some of my random thoughts on the subject (note: I’m usually an optimistic person, but this subject always casts me in a sour mood):

- It’s fairly evident that the top 1% in this country hold over 90% of wealth, but there’s more to it than that. Ever since 2008, I believe we’ve seen a more disproportionate percentage of our society breakaway and there become more of a defining line between rich and poor in this country.

One of my supporting arguments for this theory is the chronic unemployment problem we’re experiencing. Chronic unemployment is not sustainable in any economy (Greece’s current problems are a good example of why this is the case). Likewise, you see it when people are applying for jobs - they either have the experience that you’re looking for, or they don’t. The question then becomes, what do you do with people who don’t have the experience your looking for? The obvious answer is to train them. But to train a person who lacks a skill takes time and money. Money isn’t usually a problem, but with the current bent towards austerity around the world, I fear it will become more difficult to come by. Time can be an even more valuable resource than money, but if a society is to transform itself (like what we are currently trying to do here in the United States) I think it’s a worthwhile investment.

- There was a recent study done on cnn.com that showed most Americans couldn’t afford $1000 emergency expense. This really shocked me. How have we as a society let this happen to ourselves? Again this goes to show that even though we call ourselves ‘civilized’ our friends and neighbors lack adequate resources to fund accidents that can befallen anyone of us at anytime.

- Education - the cost of education is skyrocketing at an enormous pace. College debt horrendously burdens those just graduating from school and wears on the minds of parents of young kids. Regardless of even college, the price of tuition at my local private elementary school is significantly more than I paid for my freshman year of college. Why is this so? Well, there are lots of reasons. The more important question is what can we do about this?

- Healthcare - this is going to be a huge problem for our country sooner rather than later. I’ve heard it reported that soon we’ll have up to $80 Trillion in unfunded medicare responsibilities. If everyone thought the debt ceiling fiasco was bad, just wait until shit hits the fan with healthcare. With its costs rising faster then ever, it’s unimaginable how the non-rich are going to support future care - not just for themselves, but for the millions of baby boomers out there.

As I’ve pointed out many times in this blog, we’re quickly coming to a crossroads in our society. When Rome got here, it burned and faded away into history. I believe we are a transition point, not dissimilar from the industrial revolution or just before WWII. Our generation, my generation, has the opportunity to do something great. Unfortunately, we have an early reputation for being self-entitled snobs. What we do will have an impact on this country well into the 22nd century. I hope we’re not to self-involved that we forget to help each other out.