Just In! 89.8 % of Americans Working!

 (good news) + (bad news) = 360 View

The hard numbers just came in and they are not soft--it seems the unemployment rate is over ten per cent for the first in twenty-six years. This "soft" recovery is not too cushy for many Americans, but it does seem the tide is slowly turning...

However, things could be a great deal worse. The human instinct is to view bad news as "real" news but that is not an accurate world view.

One of our most common thinking errors is discounting the positive. Yes, unemployment is 10.2 per cent. However, employment is 89.8. When viewing the world in a realistic fashion, don't look at a half full glass or a half empty one either--use your mind to see both parts.

And keep plugging along dear friends...that is what we, as humans, do best.

Happy Friday!

H1N1 Vaccine: The Facts About the Flu

(facts) - (fear) = sound choices

I had a pretty wonderful piece on how to avoid arguing with someone all ready to go when, at the gym, I saw this 60 Minutes story on the H1N1 vaccine.

Being so tired of all the fear mongering going around about this vaccine, I thought I would share this with my readers. I pick the sources of my information with the greatest of care; CBS News in general, and 60 Minutes in particular, are reputable and generally respected by the general public. I think their record of public service and quality reporting speaks for itself.

That said, listen to the people CBS selected to tell this story. Making decisions based on facts as opposed to fear is always the better choice.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Unemployment Numbers Are In!

90.2% of Americans have jobs! A great thought, but not what is focused on by most people.

Humans discount the positive, it is one of our primary thinking errors. I am not denying the 9.8 % who don't have jobs...but I don't think that is the entire story. When we use our intellect to have a 360 degree view of the world, a more nuanced picture of the world emerges.

Some don't have work and most do...let's hope that trend grows...

Have a great weekend!

(unemployment numbers) + (360 view) = 90.2% Employment

Over 90% of Americans Are Employed!

This just in...the unemployment rate is now 9.4 percent.

I just whipped out my handy Mac calculator and based on my computations that means 90.6 percent of Americans have jobs.

Taking the negative view only tells half the story my friends. Solely focusing on what we don't have is not being realistic, it's only seeing what we lack.

Is 90.6% employment the best news I have ever heard? No, I have seen higher numbers employed. But I have a long view. I know that these numbers have been better and they have been worse as well, quite a bit worse.

So take a long view and see the forest as well as the trees. Have a job? Be thankful. Don't have a job? Set a goal for yourself and start looking for the obstacles between what you want and what you have.

And hang in there...