| According to the Chinese blessing "May you live in | | | | ships. And if you are a captain of a ship and you |
| interesting times," we certainly live in interesting | | | | get into a storm, or a typhoon, or a hurricane |
| economic times right now. In fact, I was talking to | | | | once you get out on the ocean-hopefully not the |
| an associate just yesterday, and the exact words | | | | perfect storm-the single most important thing to |
| he used to conclude a thought that we had been | | | | do is to survive as completely as possible. |
| pursuing were, "How this turns out is going to be | | | | Of course, it's better to outrun or avoid that |
| interesting." | | | | storm, and that would be a higher thing, but even |
| He's talking about how we, as citizens of the | | | | if that's what you're looking at-whew, that's the |
| United States, have just recently gotten a new | | | | most important thing! And, like I said, if it means |
| President. We just celebrated the inauguration of | | | | turning back around and sailing towards your |
| President Barack Obama, outgoing George Bush. | | | | original port of departure, for a temporary event, |
| And as you well know, if you're a student of | | | | yes! Do it! |
| History or Current Events, we are in a serious | | | | There are people who are going back and having |
| depression. | | | | to do things that they haven't done for six, eight, |
| We've got wars going on... The U.S. economy is | | | | 10, 12 years. Today is survival. It's more |
| bad, and of course it's affecting the whole world... | | | | important right now to get through these times. |
| The mortgage market, the credit market, the | | | | This is the test of you and me, of an individual, of |
| bail-outs. And people are losing jobs-Citicorp cut | | | | a country, of a company-can we handle that |
| 70,000 jobs within two weeks. Company after | | | | typhoon? Can we make it through the hurricane? |
| company. Microsoft recently announced that | | | | Because brother, we've entered it. It's too late to |
| they're cutting thousands and thousands of jobs | | | | avoid it. For now, this is the most important thing |
| because sales are down. It's a domino effect, and | | | | you can do: be creative. Don't be proud. Do things |
| it's happening everywhere. And it ain't over yet! | | | | that you've done before. Recognize that, in fact, it |
| Here's one thing to consider. When you're caught | | | | might be a good idea to do the things that made |
| in a storm, maybe that long-term vision you had | | | | you successful originally. That's what a lot of us |
| becomes less important than surviving or thriving | | | | are going back and doing. |
| in the current environment. Now, that doesn't | | | | So I say, get creative-that's where you show |
| mean that you turn your ship around and start | | | | your mettle. |
| sailing back home, although that could be, in the | | | | I enjoy having you as a partner here, in these |
| short term, what's good for you. | | | | interesting times. |
| We are masters of our fates, the captains of our | | | | |