Editor’s note: This article was first published in December 2010, during the Spanish economic crisis. Its references to blaming Prime Minister Zapatero, rising unemployment and the recession reflect that moment.
For some time now I’ve been thinking that the crisis is really an “illusion” that many people live in. The government may have a debt crisis… or maybe not. Companies are going through a period of recession… only some of them, as we can see. People are losing their jobs, except for those who are still working. There’s no short-term way out of this maze, even though many have already found it.
It may sound too harsh, but… have you considered that the fact that it has been publicly announced that we’re in a recession seems to give us the right to excuse our own “incompetence”? Why look at people in a situation similar to ours instead of looking at those in a very different one?
The crisis is a disease that some people suffer from. Its symptoms are limited productive thinking, resignation in the face of a tragic situation, a lack of personal fulfilment, and looking for someone to blame while letting ourselves off the hook.
In Spain we have it much easier when it comes to not having to think. If you’re out of work, blame Zapatero (the Spanish prime minister at the time). If your company closed, let’s blame Zapatero. If your family can’t celebrate Christmas like in other years because of the economic situation, blame Zapatero. And now that you’ve found the culprit, tell me… has your situation improved?
Don’t look for someone to blame; look for solutions to your personal situation. Those chats at the bar, drink after drink, going over how bad “things” are, do you no good at all. They only fill your mind with negativity alongside other people who, at that moment, are doing exactly what you’re doing: “nothing productive”.
Instead of giving priority to news about all the companies that are closing, pay attention only to the ones that have grown in times of crisis. And instead of spending your time with people who have no positive message to give you, spend it with productive minds that add positive value.
Perhaps the time has come for you to learn something about business and finance instead of knowing every one of Belén Esteban’s lovers (a Spanish TV celebrity), which, interesting as it may be, tends to be very unproductive.
If you can’t see it yourself, I’ll tell you: the crisis isn’t something general, because not everyone suffers from it. You simply have to think about which side of the quadrant you want to be on. You can be among the people looking for a solution to move forward or among the people waiting for a miracle that will be a long time coming.
I invite you to change your outlook. One word I’ve been hearing a lot lately is “reinventing yourself”. It doesn’t matter who you were before the crisis, but who you are now. And if you don’t like who you are now, the good news is that you can choose what you want to be tomorrow.
A recent study has shown that Amancio Ortega, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Zaryn Dentzel and many other great entrepreneurs had two arms and two legs and, more importantly, didn’t come from another planet, and yet they have managed to increase their income during a recession.
So what is the difference between them and us? Only their mindset and vision, and the fact that, once the crisis began, they certainly didn’t go looking for someone to blame, because they were busy looking for solutions.
Remember: the only person responsible for the situation you’re in is you, and unless you have a “puppet” complex, nobody is going to pull the strings for you.
Further reading
- How to lose your fear of starting a business
- The advantages of starting a business in times of crisis
- The mindset of an entrepreneur, according to Donald Trump
- A motivational story: Steve Jobs’s early days
Featured image: Clyde Robinson, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
