The title, “Ductus Exemplo,” means lead by example which is always a noble effort. Sometimes it can be hard and feel uncomfortable but you truly don’t know yourself until you test your body, mind and spirit. Now before everyone starts thinking that I have been tipping back the wine, getting all philosophical and introspective, I believe there is an extremely valuable life lesson to be learned by testing yourself. What does that exactly mean? Let me give you some color on my background before I relate it back to the business and financial world.
I have pretty much worked out in a traditional gym all my life, not an athlete in any specific sport but more of your average gym rat. I have also been involved in martial arts for many years, studying various styles and learning the Zen part as well as the physicality of doing the moves and fighting. About 3 months ago I decided, at the urging of a friend, to try out a workout regimen called Crossfit. Crossfit has been around for some time and the concept of it is grounded in a logical, fundamental approach to maximize the efficiency at which your body (machine) operates. My first time out, I thought this workout could not be any worse than my training sessions of past. WRONG! I learned in the first 15 minutes that this was something completely different. I was so overwhelmed by the nature and style of the Crossfit workout that I was literally comatose for the remainder of that day. That was a 15 minute workout!!!! Without boring you with the nuances of this type of training I want to impart what I have learned over the last three months of Crossfit training. First, and most importantly, the mind gives up well before the body does. The Navy Seals use this type of mental training to see how tough the soldiers are mentally, not just physically. Second, is that human nature generally has people taking the path of least resistance. Third, under tremendous physical duress is where we make mental breakthroughs. Last, but certainly not least, is needing someone to lead you through this process such as a great trainer, coach or mentor. In this particular case, my coach is Justin Flynn, owner of Orange Coast Crossfit
in Costa Mesa California. He applies a deft hand and gets people to have these breakthroughs. For him, it is definitely ductus exemplo.
So why my diatribe on Crossfit, when this is a financial blog? America, as the leading economic driving nation in the world, needs to lead by example. This financial malaise is not just ours but the entire world economy’s. Unfortunately, the American economic engine is broken, albeit temporarily, and some hard decisions need to be made. Are we making the right decisions, or will it alleviate the pain currently only to come back and severely hamper our economy later? The financial alchemists in Washington and the Federal Reserve are working overtime trying to figure out the best path to bring the US back online. The problem with large scale fixes and massive capital injections into the economy, is that the fix is now but the consequences are severe. The United States’ GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has just had two of the worst quarters since the recession of 1982 and still looks to be contracting.
I could spout tons of financial statistics to make whatever case I wanted to make but the real underlying reason that the US economy is in bad shape is the small business owners are being neglected at best and abused at worst. Small business in this country is a lynchpin that keeps the economic engine humming along and when credit and liquidity are pulled almost overnight from these business owners, the effect will be a continuous erosion of GDP and, more importantly, a tax base. California is a prime example of this eroding tax base. The “Governator” came into office with the mandate to make California a strong state by reducing the red tape and onerous tax burdens being hefted upon the small business owner. Fast forward 2 years and California’s taxes are at an all time high and the state is in real threat of filing for bankruptcy protection.
Overall, the US financial system is very delicate at this juncture with the dollar still at historical lows and the price of oil moving increasingly higher. We desperately need to kick start the US economic engine. Let’s face it, the last 9 months have been the most challenging times in recent history from Wall Street to Main Street. The meltdown has affected all of us in some form or fashion. In times like these, when stress and fear rule the day we have to look upon ourselves to have a breakthrough If we need to make some hard decisions to get through these turbulent times, then that is what needs to be done. Everyone is a sphere of influence so we all have the ability to lead by example. My Crossfit mentor, Justin, is a perfect example of a never quit attitude both as a trainer and a small business owner. Caution, not fear, is the word of these times and we should all try to lead by example.
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