... out there in the cold
Getting lonely, getting old
Can you feel me?
Hey you, standing in the aisles
With itchy feet and fading smiles
Can you feel me?
Hey you, dont help them to bury the light
Dont give in without a fight.

-Pink Floyd

It’s palpable right now, isn’t it?  With so many social and economic changes condensed into a short time span, it’s no wonder everyone seems to be walking around on autopilot.  No one is talking about anything positive… it’s as if everyone is waiting for someone else to walk in with some good news and change things around.  Although I don’t have all of the answers, I thought this would be a good chance to talk about recurring themes in my talks with clients.

Reprioritization

It’s amazing how focused on money and material things we can become.  And it jumps out in stark contrast when there isn’t as much coming in.  This forces us to adapt and change, though not necessarily in a bad way.  Take a look at your priorities.  Are they really in the right order?  Really?  Now take a look at your attitude towards these changes and priorities.  If things change, things that are out of your control, is really that bad?  Really?  I don’t know about you, but for all the gloom and doom I hear, I still see people getting up in the morning, going to work, and continuing to push on.  So it can’t be that bad… we must be adapting and functioning… and as humans we are quite good at this.  Good for us.

Culture Change

I see several things happening if our economy continues the way it does.  First, adults, especially men, will reprioritize to emphasize friends and family over job and money.  Quality time with children will take precedence over quantity time.  Second, spending will be more for function than luxury.  Health (mental and physical) will be at the top of everyone’s list, but what health is will mean something different.  We will move away from six-pack abs, the need to be physically dominant, the feeling of needing to look great.  It, too, will move to function.  Exercise will be for heart and joint health, preventive care and maintenance to allow for a longer quality life.  We will redefine what “rich” means.

I think we will see the rebellion of the cubicle-dweller.  People will no longer accept being away from home for long periods and sacrifice their marriages and relationships.  They will refuse the long commutes and the expensive gas prices.  We have great technology at home now, and even company executives are admitting that they, too, see the usefulness in this, as they are affected also.  Research has backed up what people already believe, that telecommuters are more productive and happy when working from home.  Do you have to be physically present for your job?  I think this person will stop trying to move out to the far-away suburbs, and relocate closer to work (remember when the shoemaker and butcher lived above their shops?).

Ultimately, I see us becoming more satisfied with less.  That change is inevitable, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad.  We will have to reframe and change perspective on the changes.  We did it once before.  It was called the Great Depression.  Take a look at this photo by Charles C. Ebbets taken atop the Rockefeller Center in New York as it was being built… in 1932… in the middle of the Depression.  Hard work (one I wouldn’t want) and yet these men are still smiling.  They were our grandparents and great grandparents.  They figured it out.  So will we.