This week’s LetsBlogOff asks a relatively simple question; Is there a reason to be optimistic? When I first saw the topic earlier last week, my answer was hell yes. Here comes the weekend & I was simply going, who flipping cares & why bother? Fortunately, I did not write this article during that time, because it simply would not have been me.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having “hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favorable or hopeful view.” By watching the news or reading the papers, one has to wonder, what is there to be optimistic about;
Foreclosure Freeze Could Drag Down Property Values, Housing Chief Warns
A Housing Market Divided
Housing outlook darkens amid foreclosure scandal
Taking Control of Today’s Skilled Labor Shortage
With news like this being posted in just the last 24 hours, and hearing about a few of my friends throwing in the towel, I should still be feeling pessimistic, right? Nope, & here’s why
Skilled Labor Shortage?
mikeroweWORKS – talk about a great group of guys and gals dedicated to helping promote the trades and eliminate that shortage. When Mike Rowe, put this together there were 11 of us that signed up as Tradesmen – the last time I checked there were over 50 of them dedicated to that cause.
FramingPro – he is not really a professional framer, try a 14 year old with a willingness to learn & be taught. The name is his goal, so not only did he write it down, but he uses as his handle on Contractor Talk as an ever present reminder. The amazing part for some, not only is he accepted on this “Pro’s only” site, but encouraged and taught. If you happen to be feeling down & out about today’s youth, you might want to check out this 28-page thread on his “Shed”
It is a dog eat dog world?
Really, besides the two great groups above;
Remodel Crazy – quite honestly, I have never seen a great group of guys that will do almost anything to help someone out, weak in marketing, got a design issue, even if you are a homeowner or DIYer, you will get help. Just need an encouraging word; well you will get it, probably with a little ribbing to help cheer you up.
The past & the future:
Ah the past, it is a great teacher if you remember to learn from it. The 80’s, the S&L Crisis, the Tech Bubble, etc… all have taught me numerous lessons. Fortunately, I managed to learn from those, so that when the banks imploded we were able to pull through it and are now looking at completing our fifth year in business. Looking at all the different numbers, we are definitely heading out of this last little crisis a little wiser and stronger than before. While it is easy to focus on the bad, I know the good is right around the corner and many people are benefitting from it now.
So it is up to you, do you want to concentrate on all the bad news circulating around, or do you try finding some good news? Do you prefer to be pessimistic, or might a little optimism actually help you out? Looking or needing some more inspiration? Well let me recommend what I plan on doing in my spare time today – check out what these other great wordsmiths bloggers below have to say on the subject.
Allison Bailes’s – Energy Vanguard
Ami’s – Multifarious Miscellany
Becky Shankle’s – Eco Modernism
Betsy DeMio’s – EgrGirl’s
Bob Borson’s – Life of an Architect
Bonnie Harris’s – Wax Marketing
Brian Meek’s – Extremely Average
Chamois Green – Cham Was Here
Cindy FrewenWuellner’s – Urbanverse Posterous
Denese Bottrell’s – Thoughtful Content
Madame Sunday’s – Modern Sauce
Nick Lovelady’s – Cupboards Kitchen & Bath (Happy 30th Birthday Nick)
Paul Anater’s – Kitchen and Residential Design
Rufus Dogg’s – Dog Walk Blog
Saxon Henry’s – Roaming by Design
Steve Kleber’s – Marketing Home Products
Steve Mouzon’s – the Original Green
Tamara Dalton’s – Design Studios
Veronika Miller’s – Modenus
Great links, Sean! I didn’t know about MikeRoweWorks. I’m bookmarking this one for those bottom scraping days. Cheaper than beer, & doesn’t give me a headache!
Great links, Sean! I didn’t know about MikeRoweWorks. I’m bookmarking this one for those bottom scraping days. Cheaper than beer, & doesn’t give me a headache!
Great links, Sean! I didn’t know about MikeRoweWorks. I’m bookmarking this one for those bottom scraping days. Cheaper than beer, & doesn’t give me a headache!
Sean, love that story about FramingPro, that’s incredible. This past week on NY Times one of the most shared articles was what tools to have in your house, well written and useful. We have knowledge others need, we just have to remember to make it accessible. cindy @urbanverse
Sean, your mention of the trades reminded me of an experience in New Orleans. I’ve been working there with the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment (Prince Charles’ group) to help train craft apprentices. Last year, at the end of my segment, I left them with the Curse of the Craftsman: http://www.originalgreen.org/blog/the-curse-of-the-craftsman.html The basic idea is that if you’re committed to being a craftsman, you’ll have to spend a lot more time in the early years with nothing to show for it, but you’ll be deeply rewarded in the end.
Sean, your mention of the trades reminded me of an experience in New Orleans. I’ve been working there with the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment (Prince Charles’ group) to help train craft apprentices. Last year, at the end of my segment, I left them with the Curse of the Craftsman: http://www.originalgreen.org/blog/the-curse-of-the-craftsman.html The basic idea is that if you’re committed to being a craftsman, you’ll have to spend a lot more time in the early years with nothing to show for it, but you’ll be deeply rewarded in the end.
Good post, Sean. I find my quality of life is greatly improved when the focus is positive rather than the negative, but I’m a glass half-full person anyway. As the Chilean miners say, life’s short – grab every bit of it you can.
Thanks for the links too.
Love it, Sean- great stuff. Thanks again for the birthday shout-out!
I agree with you completely. One just need to look, to find reasons to be optimistic. It is a much better way to live, than to always be looking for things which are depressing.
Sean, your mention of the trades reminded me of an experience in New Orleans. I’ve been working there with the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment (Prince Charles’ group) to help train craft apprentices. Last year, at the end of my segment, I left them with the Curse of the Craftsman: http://www.originalgreen.org/blog/the-curse-of-the-craftsman.html The basic idea is that if you’re committed to being a craftsman, you’ll have to spend a lot more time in the early years with nothing to show for it, but you’ll be deeply rewarded in the end.
Sean,
What I always like about your postings is that you always provide great sources of information in support of your position, and this posting is no different in that regard. Also makes me realize (as exemplified by Framing Pro) that optimism is as much a manifestation of one’s outward example as it is an attitude or mental state. Great article, my friend…
~John
FramingPro about says it all I want to be *that* guy! That’s it. Thanks for sharing Sean!
FramingPro about says it all I want to be *that* guy! That’s it. Thanks for sharing Sean!
Wow guys, thanks for all the great comments & I am glad you liked it and the links. I hope you all have a geat week
FramingPro just blew my mind. I’m 21 and have never undertaken something that driven and enthused. dogwalkblog titled his post “Optimism is Having Faith in Youth” and this kid from Toronto (figures he’s from Canada, what else do they have to do besides build sheds?) deserves a round of applause for proving there is hope for us yet.
Great article, love the inclusion of companies/people who display optimism in their field and benefit their business because of it.
Sean,
Perhaps what people need to hear more of the positives as you have illustrated here. One more positive that I would add is the fact that two-thirds of houses in the US are over 30 years old. That’s 80 million houses, a huge market to work in. Many of these homes are ripe with maintenance and renovation needs. So I am optimistic too and appreciate your post! Thanks, Chuck
What a great positive outlook you have here Sean, you should definitely spread the word!
Cheers to Nick, AKA Framing Pro. What impressed me was how he stuck in there even after all the criticism he received when he first joined Contractortalk. Yet he ended up making some nice contributions to the site, and got a lot in return for himself.
As for your words on optimism, when you ask the question: “do you want to concentrate on all the bad news circulating around, or do you try finding some good news?”. I prefer to do both. I believe the characteristic that distinguishes the winners from losers is the ability to turn problems to opportunities, or negatives to positives. You have to look at both the good and bad to do that, not one or the other.
I think all too often people confuse optimism with foolishness. They dangerously deny reality, and are completely irresponsible as a business owner. That is the difference between foolish, unwarranted, dangerous optimism, and earned, deserved, justifiable optimism.
Good post, Sean. I find my quality of life is greatly improved when the focus is positive rather than the negative, but I’m a glass half-full person anyway. As the Chilean miners say, life’s short – grab every bit of it you can.
Thanks for the links too.
Sean, love that story about FramingPro, that’s incredible. This past week on NY Times one of the most shared articles was what tools to have in your house, well written and useful. We have knowledge others need, we just have to remember to make it accessible. cindy @urbanverse
I agree with you completely. One just need to look, to find reasons to be optimistic. It is a much better way to live, than to always be looking for things which are depressing.
Love it, Sean- great stuff. Thanks again for the birthday shout-out!
Sean,
What I always like about your postings is that you always provide great sources of information in support of your position, and this posting is no different in that regard. Also makes me realize (as exemplified by Framing Pro) that optimism is as much a manifestation of one’s outward example as it is an attitude or mental state. Great article, my friend…
~John
FramingPro just blew my mind. I’m 21 and have never undertaken something that driven and enthused. dogwalkblog titled his post “Optimism is Having Faith in Youth” and this kid from Toronto (figures he’s from Canada, what else do they have to do besides build sheds?) deserves a round of applause for proving there is hope for us yet.
Great article, love the inclusion of companies/people who display optimism in their field and benefit their business because of it.
Wow guys, thanks for all the great comments & I am glad you liked it and the links. I hope you all have a geat week
FramingPro about says it all I want to be *that* guy! That’s it. Thanks for sharing Sean!
FramingPro about says it all I want to be *that* guy! That’s it. Thanks for sharing Sean!
Sean,
Perhaps what people need to hear more of the positives as you have illustrated here. One more positive that I would add is the fact that two-thirds of houses in the US are over 30 years old. That’s 80 million houses, a huge market to work in. Many of these homes are ripe with maintenance and renovation needs. So I am optimistic too and appreciate your post! Thanks, Chuck
What a great positive outlook you have here Sean, you should definitely spread the word!
Cheers to Nick, AKA Framing Pro. What impressed me was how he stuck in there even after all the criticism he received when he first joined Contractortalk. Yet he ended up making some nice contributions to the site, and got a lot in return for himself.
As for your words on optimism, when you ask the question: “do you want to concentrate on all the bad news circulating around, or do you try finding some good news?”. I prefer to do both. I believe the characteristic that distinguishes the winners from losers is the ability to turn problems to opportunities, or negatives to positives. You have to look at both the good and bad to do that, not one or the other.
I think all too often people confuse optimism with foolishness. They dangerously deny reality, and are completely irresponsible as a business owner. That is the difference between foolish, unwarranted, dangerous optimism, and earned, deserved, justifiable optimism.