The real problem with a bad economy

I am so sick and tired of hearing about how bad this economy is, how bad the job market is, how bad everything is.

 
I am exhausted just trying to sift through it all.  There is not one news channel or radio talk show out their that can stay away from that topic for five minutes. 

Why is it that the worst news is reported a thousand times and the best news once or twice?  If anyone out there can give me an intelligent answer on that, I sure would love to hear about it. 

The problem is, when things go bad we all to often pack our bags and that is it.  Then we sit, complain and wait till someone on the TV or radio declares that everything is O.K. we can come back out now.  In some of the greatest depressions ever, here are just a few companies that were started -- maybe you heard of them:

• Proctor and Gamble -  Founded during the Panic of 1837 : The shaky economy had a full six years of financial crisis ahead. Bank failures and concerns about the paper economy spurred the greatest economic decline since the birth of the country. Status today:  $83.5 billion in revenue in 2008.
• IBM - Founded during the Long Depression, 1873-1896: The Coinage Act of 1873 demonetized silver, pushing investors away from making long-term loans. U.S. banks collapsed twice, causing the Panic of 1873.   Status today: If it's true that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, IBM had record revenue of $103.6 billion last year.
• United Technologies Corp - Founded during 1929, amid the Great Depression: The notorious year that the stock market crashed, spurring a 10-year global downturn, also marked the birth of an aerospace giant.  Status today: UTC reported $58.7 billion in revenue in 2008.

Some of the greatest companies and breakthroughs came at a time when most people thought these things were impossible. 

Why did they work?  Well I am sure I could write about 1,000 reason why and very few why they should not have.  But I bet at the time these companies were started, people gave them a million reasons why it wouldn’t work.  But I can give you the one and most important reason why they did:  The question they asked themselves should be the same one we should be asking ourselves today, What can you achieve if you knew you couldn't fail? 

Failure is only an option because we choose it to be.  We are who we are by the choices we make.  The good news is today could be the day you decided to make different choices. 

Remember be positive, be real and live your life In The Zone. 

David F Muraco is a certified life coach, motivator and radio talk show host who lives in Oneida. In 2004 he founded "In the Zone", a business dedicated to helping people reach their goals. His column runs every Wednesday in the Utica Daily News.  To contact David, email him at davemuraco@in-the-zone.biz or visit his website at http://In-the-zone.biz