Growing up on the coast of North Carolina I heard all kinds of stories about shipwrecks of old, and why not? The coast of my home state is universally known as "the Graveyard of the Atlantic" due to the inordinate number of ships that have gone to their watery grave there - from lost colonial explorers, 18th century pirate attack victims, hurricane casualties and even World War II era U-Boat casualties. Yes, the reasons for the wrecks are various, but the most common culprit has always been the weather. The three capes of North Carolina that jut out and produce south-facing beaches just lie in wait for coastal hurricanes, the warm water of the Gulf Stream collides with the frigid Labrador Currents coming down from Canada off our coast, creating unstable jetties, sand bars and channels that shift and change overnight, making nautical charts obsolete before they go to print, and the massive size of the planet's second largest body of water has a meteorological impact all it's own. But here's the thing - no sane sailor has ever set sail for the storms. They just find themselves in them. It's what you do when it happens to you that matters. It's not a situation you relish, but throwing your hands up in the air guarantees a death sentence. You're left with no choice but to navigate through the storm.
The storm clouds have been brewing around our global economy for some time. Now the crashing waves and thick black sky is upon us. Our first, terrified instinct is to throw our hands in the air, look for someone to blame, and cry woe is me. Which is, of course, a death sentence. If you've got a job, you've got to protect it. If you don't have a job, you've got to get one. If your finances aren't in order, better late than never. I'm no financial expert, and I certainly don't find myself in the midst of this storm anywhere close to being as prepared as I'd like. That's not the point. The storm's here. Let's navigate through it.
This isn't a financial advice blog - if you're taking financial advice from me you've got bigger problems than any blog's going to address. This isn't a pro-business, or pro-government, or even-pro little guy spiel. The situation upon us is difficult, scary and dangerous, and it's not to be taken lightly. I guess this is about perspective. The storm's here, period. So what do we do now?
Be realistic. Your job is going to change. You're going to be taking on new responsibilities, new challenges - truth be told, new opportunities. Yes, opportunities. It's all in how you react to whatever gets thrown your way by the wind and the sea - regardless of how fair it is. In fact, it's not going to be fair. Count on that.
You can gripe about, or seize the day. It doesn't matter to the storm clouds. Remember that, in the midst of the storm, the unexpected is the one thing you should expect. Take nothing for granted. You can't afford to let your guard down. You also can't afford distractions - it's not time to wander down to the galley to see what there is to eat. This is about survival. And when you come out the other side of the clouds, if you've successfully navigated, you'll be a wiser, more prepared, more skilled sailor than when the storm came upon you. You've weathered the storm, learned the lessons it had to teach, and survived to be a better, stronger, wiser you. Opportunities, indeed.
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