Top 5 Ways to Bail Yourself Out of Economic Crisis

Tired of reading about the controversial economic stimulus package, the bank bailouts and the massive job cuts? In the spirit of remaining proactive in the midst of all of this doom and gloom, my good friends Geo, Michael and Andrew and I decided to take matters into our own hands. Why not put together a list of things we'd consider useful in our very own personal stimulus package. We began with a question that seemed pretty straightforward: What are the top 5 things that I can do right now to make sure that I have the most options down the line? Of the hundreds of answers we came up with, here are my favorite in a list we like to call:

Auto-Stimulus: Top 5 Ways To Bail Yourself Out (Before You Have To)

1. Be Quiet and Listen: Go to conferences and meet-ups then follow-up online to expand your circle and get fresh perspectives.

2. Look at your resource pool and go swimming: Find and connect with people who can add value to your life and career and make sure you add value to theirs. Pick your people and interact with them both online and off.

3. Think before you act or act like you're thinking: Blog about ideas, events and people that add value to your community. They'll appreciate the kudos and might want to share your blog and sing your praises to their extended network of people.

4. Re-invent yourself: Build your reputation and credibility now by strengthening your relationships and your own personal brand. Join discussion groups both online and off and share your own authentic and unique voice.

5. Build it and they will come: Barter your services! It could be as simple as tapping into your local Craigslist postings or organizing a weekly neighborhood swap -- be ready to invest in the relationship economy and put yourself in the middle of the information flow. The more you know about what you can exchange for your skills and services in your community, the better positioned you are to face the future on your own terms.

No matter where you sit, you have options so get out there and shine and share your own top 5 with us here. Remember there is wisdom in the network.. What's yours?

Comments

[0dette]

As usual, what I like about your writing is that you blend moral philosophy ("share your own authentic and unique voice" / "...make sure you add value (to theirs)") with practicality ("go to conferences and meet-ups" / "join discussion groups ..."). You talk about receiving within a context of giving first, and I appreciate that. Also, it's important, I think, for people to maintain their integrity and sense of purpose -- always, but perhaps more so now with the heavy outside influences forecasting doom/gloom. I would like to add a few (counter-intuitive? maybe?) Auto-Stimuli -- now is also a great time to set very high standards for yourself and for your expectations of others -- if you can follow them now, and if you can also feel good holding others accountable now, you can be pretty sure you can keep to the high ground at any time. Also, now is a great space for personal reflection and cultivation -- it's when we're the most challenged that our spirits open all the way up (I find this to be true), and with some courage, now is an opportune time to dig on in there and grow! Keep it up, Juliette. I like what you're doing and where you go!