Why Your Potential Can Still Thrive in an Economic Downturn

December 13, 2010 by Bryce Christiansen in Personal Growth

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the vein of work life balance, times of economic uncertainty can be seen in another light as “The Great Vacation”. Sometimes it takes a rough patch and working with less, to get us using our brains and imagination again. This time can be used to think creatively and do some amazing things. Often our best ideas come to us just in the nick of time.

It’s hard to stay positive when unemployment rates have been hovering around 10 percent for over a year now, so we thought it would be helpful to look at some facts about great achievements from the previous great depression as well as the current recession.

10 Examples of Thriving Potential from the 1930’s Great Depression

1. In 1930, frozen foods enter the market in Massachusetts.
2. In 1930, Warner Brothers released the first All-Talking All-Color wide-screen movie, Song of the Flame; in 1930 alone, Warner Brothers released ten All-Color All-Talking feature movies in Technicolor and scores of shorts and features with color sequences.
3. In 1931, physicist Ernst Ruska and electrical engineer Max Knoll constructed the prototype for the electron microscope.
4. In 1933, FM Radio was patented.
5. In 1933, Kodak made the first color film Kodachrome; 3M began selling Scotch Tape.
6. In 1933, the revolutionary Boeing 247 was introduced, the first truly modern airliner. It was much faster, safer, and easier to fly than other passenger aircraft.
7. In 1935, Robert Watson-Watt in response to government fears of the Germans developing death rays, demonstrated a device that would detect incoming aircraft and allow for advanced preparation. The device would go on to become radar technology.
8. In 1935, Hormel introduced their famous Hormel Chili.
9. In 1940, NBC began network broadcasting television.
10. In 1937, Bill Hewlett and David Packard began talks about starting a company together. Two years later the Hewlett-Packard Company was incorporated.

Modern Day Achievers of the Recession

In the current recession, several entrepreneurs have found achievements of their own to celebrate.

ScootBoot is a company that makes trailers for scooters, providing their customers an easy solution for hauling groceries, books and other things. The founder came up with the idea while working a temporary job and going to school for his MBA.

Since job prospects looked gloomy, he decided to create a solution to his problem that went on to turn him into an international business man.

Gregg, a professional wood carver, used to make great money hand carving signs and lettering the names on yachts in genuine gold leaf. When the recession hit, his business sank. He began brainstorming what other ventures he could start that wouldn’t tank in a weak economy.

Being a knife expert, he realized people don’t really have a place to go to get their knives sharpened, so he started Chef’s Edge Professional Knife Sharpening. His products are now sold on Amazon and business is growing.

Another example comes from Three Squares Greetings. They came up with the idea of creating greeting cards for inmates in penitentiaries. The cards send the message from loved ones that they still care about them, even though what they did was wrong.

It was a market that had long been ignored. Now their cards are featured by several retailers across California.

So…if you’re struggling with the effects of our current recession, take some hope from these stories.

No one can fire your brain or keep it from working but you. There is no reason why your potential can’t thrive even in a down economy. No one has the identical talents to yours, so you just need to come up with some unique applications for them.

Three Things to Do Next

1. Comment:  What are your thoughts on the recession and how it can effect your personal growth?
2. Share:  It’s refreshing to hear a positive story in times of hardship, isn’t it? Feel free to share a link to this Personal Growth article on your site.
3. Friend or Follow Us:  We regularly post great techniques and tools to help with career management, personal growth, and networking.  We often share new articles through those channels first.

Also, please feel free to share your comments, stories, or thoughts below.

References:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/10/the-recessions-accidental_n_282721.html?slidenumber=15

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing#Before_1950s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fm_radio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_microscope

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_television#History



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