In honor of the holiday and in tribute to your contributions and achievements … Happy Labor Day!
For many who want to work, it will not be a happy time of year, as there just aren’t enough jobs for all those who want them.
I reported previously (and summarized here) that there are approximately 120 million people searching for a job, a new job, a second job, or their first full-time post college graduation job … yet our economy will only be able to generate 2 million jobs this year.
So… why can’t the economy generate sufficient jobs for all those that want to work? And how did this happen?
In order to learn from history, it is actually worth taking a moment on this holiday weekend to think about what has changed, explain how we got into this circumstance, and discuss what we are able to expect going forward.
As we begin, stop for a moment and ask yourself "do you recall the moment you noticed the world changed?"
Let me share with you a little story which has nothing … and almost everything to do with the future of our world and how you fit into it.
In 1917 the USA faced an enormous challenge. We had been working hard to compete in the industrialized economy and there was a shortage.
It was not a shortage of oil or coal or other all-natural resources but a shortage of workers; the physically obedient folks who will be factory workers.
The answer to this economic dilemma … and it was an experiment of sorts for the reason that it had not been done previously, was mandatory public education.
However, the initial objective of the public school system in the United States was not to inspire young children or produce scholars; nor was it developed for dreamers, or folks who color outside with the lines, or break the rules and challenge the status quo.
The public school system from the early 1900s was invented to create a nation full of adults who would obediently do their job on the factory assembly line.
It was to teach kids to fit in by sitting in straight rows and organize their day using a series of ringing bells as these were the skills they would need to join the labor force. And, it was to punish individuals who didn't conform.
Intentional or not, this approach of turning childhood dreamers into workers was an investment inside the nation’s financial future. And it worked!
This led to quite a few generations of productive and totally employed workers. However it isn’t working anymore.
Why? Our economy has changed. We don’t live in an industrialized economy anymore. We live within a connected economy.
At the moment, you'll find much more people on Facebook than there were on the planet 200 years ago.
Technology has made it doable for us to connect with men and women and ideas from anywhere in the world instantaneously.
And consequently our economies have expanded from localized towns and communities to the entire world.
We have globalized trade in nearly every way possible.
In previous times, the obedient people who did as they had been told were individuals who have been rewarded for working hard and putting their dreams aside so that you can toe the line.
They were provided nicely paying jobs and long-term careers. They had been assured pensions, positive aspects, and also the promise they would always be taken care of.
And they were.
But that promise is gone for many of us today.
Even if you have a white-collar job now, the majority of your white-collar workers are still working in a factory.
Instead of operating a sewing machine, or welding a widget, they now push pencils, or type on keyboards, or process paperwork.
The work continues to be factory work since the complete focus in the day is spent on rising productivity; and this leaves small room for creativity and spontaneity or individuality.
The educated hard-working masses are nonetheless carrying out what they are told however they are no longer finding what they deserve.
Even when you do almost everything you happen to be told to do … graduate from high school, go to college, get a degree, work hard in what ever job you can obtain, if you can get a job, you aren't guaranteed anything.
Companies are being forced to modify, or die, right now.
Layoffs occur much more frequently than jobs appear and the highest paying jobs are disappearing or heading overseas at an alarming rate.
For those who have a job where your boss tells you specifically what to do, they will always come across a person more affordable than you to do it.
Did you understand the typical length of a job now is 4.5 years compared to the 1960s when it was 40 years.
The connected economy rewards a unique group of people. It rewards individuals who see issues differently; people who do not conform.
They may be men and women that are continuously learning; they have education and develop capabilities in multiple areas; they are dreamers and connectors; they've ideas that no one else has!!
They are people today that are willing to work hard but know that the old way of doing things is broken.
The connected economy rewards you for not being a cog in the wheel of life … but for standing up and reaching out and connecting.
The connected economy rewards the connectors for connecting an individual to another person; a business to another business; or possibly a business enterprise to a product; or possibly a product to a person
People who learn how to connect will be the ones who will thrive and accel within a connected economy
This is definitely how the world has changed. It isn't about to change; it already has! Things are different now and they are not going back to the way they used to be.
So, now you know that because of advances in technology, globalization, as well as the bulge in our population that is comprised of baby boomers, we are going to never ever generate enough jobs to meet the demand for all these that wish to work.
The new Internet Economy requires we transition to an entrepreneurial economy and this is why entrepreneurial fever is kicking into high gear.
Let me leave you with this challenge … unless you are a Blue Blood, a Trust-Funder, or have won the lottery, we all need to work; so learn how to live life on your own terms so you can get up every morning doing what you love.
On this Labor Day weekend, I invite you to learn a completely different approach to making money. Think about how you want to work, how you want to spend your time, and how you want to Labor for your rewards. Become an entrepreneur! “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” Anonymous.
If you are like-minded, want to learn how to become an entrepreneur, get self employed, and work anywhere, then join me here … Passionate Professionals … Retooling Careers and create your new career blueprint that could make you rich, relaxed, and happy!
In closing, be sure to Learn How to Get Self-Employed, at my HomeBizSocial website; Obtain Some Tips About Being No 1 on Google, at aspenIbiz My Go-To-Market Partners website; and Learn How to be Savvy with Your Money Like the Insiders, at aspenIbiz The Conspiracy For Your Money blog. Happy Reading!
I hope you enjoy the posts and I Trust you will find them Insightful! Let me know what you think.
Here's to Your Success and Happy Labor Day!
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