Filed under: personalfinancenewsss.wordpress.com | Tags: Need, Politeness
Last week I went to see a screening of the film Precious and, frankly, I?d rather run my nails down a blackboard than sit through it again.
It was that good.
If you?re confused by that seeming contradiction, you probably don?t know much about this film, which chronicles the story of a teen-aged girl (?Precious?) who is obese, abused and pregnant for the second time. It is so graphic and so jarring that when people asked me about it later my response was unintelligible. I wanted to put my hands over my ears, close my eyes and just babble, ?la, la, la, la ??
But, nearly a week later, what this film has left me with is completely rethinking how I engage people I come into contact with in life. By showing the despicable acts of violence and the glimpse at how abuse is passed down through generations, viewers experienced an in-your-face presentation of something that is almost never in our faces.
Perhaps it needs to be.
The screening I attended courtesy of Safe Horizon — Mission: Moving victims of violence from crisis to confidence — was filled with gifted New York professionals who deal with this on a regular basis and are equipped to help in meaningful ways. But let?s face it. Most of us are not social workers or guidance counselors who might have a direct, institutional means to help a troubled teen like Precious. Or, for that matter, an adult who is living in an abusive situation. In fact, we may think we don?t even know anyone in that category.
Think again. Every day we encounter a client, a person next to us on the subway, a cashier at the grocery store, the co-worker we frequently have lunch with or the co-worker we only see occasionally on the elevator. Is it such a big effort to ask, what is our responsibility to them? And what is the difference in that responsibility to the person we see in the local coffee shop as opposed to our close friend? When do we get involved? Mind our own business? Lend an ear? When do we simply meet their eyes and smile? At the very least, can?t we muster politeness?
While certainly the abuse in her home was Precious? biggest problem by far, the harassment on the street and the stares as she rode the subway were like a horrific piling on. Was anyone wondering what was behind her blank stare? Her suspicious glare? Would I have? When people are enduring an inordinate amount of stress, often their minds are numb or whirring like a projector. Either way that?s tough to reach.
I am not suggesting we all start walking up to strangers and insert ourselves into their lives, but maybe think about the person who works two cubicles down and consider what might be going on in her life that accounts for her scattered state, tardiness, disconnect, etc. before talking her down to co-workers, dismissing her, or assuming her aloofness has anything to do with us personally.
Why add to someone?s strife by tossing out a sarcastic line or throwing a dirty look? At this polarizing time in our nation, it would be something to start dealing with others person by person. Maybe those of us not currently plagued by a chronically ill loved one or a decision about how to get out of an abusive situation or choking debt can cast a reassuring smile in another?s direction. That?s something.
Not every cashier, toll taker, gas station attendant, receptionist and waitress we encounter is in crisis mode, but it wouldn?t take much effort to assume they are. It takes just as much energy to express your gruff indifference as it does to be polite.
Ever since I saw Precious I find myself looking into people?s eyes more when I?m out and about and trying to get a read on if they could be another ?Precious.? I recently sat in an otherwise quiet Barnes & Noble when a woman talking on her phone made call after call. She was trying to line up some relief from the side symptoms of her chemotherapy. The best thing I could do for her was keep drinking my coffee and reading my book, and so I did.
The Beatles told us once that ?All You Need Is Love.? I?m going to take the expectations down a few notches and suggest ?All You Need Is Politeness.? That wouldn?t have solved Precious?s problems by any means, but maybe she could have taken a breath, mustered some hope, experienced even for a moment another way of being in the world if she encountered more kind strangers.
Clearly I won?t be watching that movie again any time soon, but its impact will be rippling through me for a long, long time.
Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com. (more…)
Filed under: personalfinancenewsss.wordpress.com | Tags: Need, Politeness
Last week I went to see a screening of the film Precious and, frankly, I?d rather run my nails down a blackboard than sit through it again.
It was that good.
If you?re confused by that seeming contradiction, you probably don?t know much about this film, which chronicles the story of a teen-aged girl (?Precious?) who is obese, abused and pregnant for the second time. It is so graphic and so jarring that when people asked me about it later my response was unintelligible. I wanted to put my hands over my ears, close my eyes and just babble, ?la, la, la, la ??
But, nearly a week later, what this film has left me with is completely rethinking how I engage people I come into contact with in life. By showing the despicable acts of violence and the glimpse at how abuse is passed down through generations, viewers experienced an in-your-face presentation of something that is almost never in our faces.
Perhaps it needs to be.
The screening I attended courtesy of Safe Horizon — Mission: Moving victims of violence from crisis to confidence — was filled with gifted New York professionals who deal with this on a regular basis and are equipped to help in meaningful ways. But let?s face it. Most of us are not social workers or guidance counselors who might have a direct, institutional means to help a troubled teen like Precious. Or, for that matter, an adult who is living in an abusive situation. In fact, we may think we don?t even know anyone in that category.
Think again. Every day we encounter a client, a person next to us on the subway, a cashier at the grocery store, the co-worker we frequently have lunch with or the co-worker we only see occasionally on the elevator. Is it such a big effort to ask, what is our responsibility to them? And what is the difference in that responsibility to the person we see in the local coffee shop as opposed to our close friend? When do we get involved? Mind our own business? Lend an ear? When do we simply meet their eyes and smile? At the very least, can?t we muster politeness?
While certainly the abuse in her home was Precious? biggest problem by far, the harassment on the street and the stares as she rode the subway were like a horrific piling on. Was anyone wondering what was behind her blank stare? Her suspicious glare? Would I have? When people are enduring an inordinate amount of stress, often their minds are numb or whirring like a projector. Either way that?s tough to reach.
I am not suggesting we all start walking up to strangers and insert ourselves into their lives, but maybe think about the person who works two cubicles down and consider what might be going on in her life that accounts for her scattered state, tardiness, disconnect, etc. before talking her down to co-workers, dismissing her, or assuming her aloofness has anything to do with us personally.
Why add to someone?s strife by tossing out a sarcastic line or throwing a dirty look? At this polarizing time in our nation, it would be something to start dealing with others person by person. Maybe those of us not currently plagued by a chronically ill loved one or a decision about how to get out of an abusive situation or choking debt can cast a reassuring smile in another?s direction. That?s something.
Not every cashier, toll taker, gas station attendant, receptionist and waitress we encounter is in crisis mode, but it wouldn?t take much effort to assume they are. It takes just as much energy to express your gruff indifference as it does to be polite.
Ever since I saw Precious I find myself looking into people?s eyes more when I?m out and about and trying to get a read on if they could be another ?Precious.? I recently sat in an otherwise quiet Barnes & Noble when a woman talking on her phone made call after call. She was trying to line up some relief from the side symptoms of her chemotherapy. The best thing I could do for her was keep drinking my coffee and reading my book, and so I did.
The Beatles told us once that ?All You Need Is Love.? I?m going to take the expectations down a few notches and suggest ?All You Need Is Politeness.? That wouldn?t have solved Precious?s problems by any means, but maybe she could have taken a breath, mustered some hope, experienced even for a moment another way of being in the world if she encountered more kind strangers.
Clearly I won?t be watching that movie again any time soon, but its impact will be rippling through me for a long, long time.
Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com. (more…)
Filed under: personalfinancenewsss.wordpress.com | Tags: Need, Politeness
Last week I went to see a screening of the film Precious and, frankly, I?d rather run my nails down a blackboard than sit through it again.
It was that good.
If you?re confused by that seeming contradiction, you probably don?t know much about this film, which chronicles the story of a teen-aged girl (?Precious?) who is obese, abused and pregnant for the second time. It is so graphic and so jarring that when people asked me about it later my response was unintelligible. I wanted to put my hands over my ears, close my eyes and just babble, ?la, la, la, la ??
But, nearly a week later, what this film has left me with is completely rethinking how I engage people I come into contact with in life. By showing the despicable acts of violence and the glimpse at how abuse is passed down through generations, viewers experienced an in-your-face presentation of something that is almost never in our faces.
Perhaps it needs to be.
The screening I attended courtesy of Safe Horizon — Mission: Moving victims of violence from crisis to confidence — was filled with gifted New York professionals who deal with this on a regular basis and are equipped to help in meaningful ways. But let?s face it. Most of us are not social workers or guidance counselors who might have a direct, institutional means to help a troubled teen like Precious. Or, for that matter, an adult who is living in an abusive situation. In fact, we may think we don?t even know anyone in that category.
Think again. Every day we encounter a client, a person next to us on the subway, a cashier at the grocery store, the co-worker we frequently have lunch with or the co-worker we only see occasionally on the elevator. Is it such a big effort to ask, what is our responsibility to them? And what is the difference in that responsibility to the person we see in the local coffee shop as opposed to our close friend? When do we get involved? Mind our own business? Lend an ear? When do we simply meet their eyes and smile? At the very least, can?t we muster politeness?
While certainly the abuse in her home was Precious? biggest problem by far, the harassment on the street and the stares as she rode the subway were like a horrific piling on. Was anyone wondering what was behind her blank stare? Her suspicious glare? Would I have? When people are enduring an inordinate amount of stress, often their minds are numb or whirring like a projector. Either way that?s tough to reach.
I am not suggesting we all start walking up to strangers and insert ourselves into their lives, but maybe think about the person who works two cubicles down and consider what might be going on in her life that accounts for her scattered state, tardiness, disconnect, etc. before talking her down to co-workers, dismissing her, or assuming her aloofness has anything to do with us personally.
Why add to someone?s strife by tossing out a sarcastic line or throwing a dirty look? At this polarizing time in our nation, it would be something to start dealing with others person by person. Maybe those of us not currently plagued by a chronically ill loved one or a decision about how to get out of an abusive situation or choking debt can cast a reassuring smile in another?s direction. That?s something.
Not every cashier, toll taker, gas station attendant, receptionist and waitress we encounter is in crisis mode, but it wouldn?t take much effort to assume they are. It takes just as much energy to express your gruff indifference as it does to be polite.
Ever since I saw Precious I find myself looking into people?s eyes more when I?m out and about and trying to get a read on if they could be another ?Precious.? I recently sat in an otherwise quiet Barnes & Noble when a woman talking on her phone made call after call. She was trying to line up some relief from the side symptoms of her chemotherapy. The best thing I could do for her was keep drinking my coffee and reading my book, and so I did.
The Beatles told us once that ?All You Need Is Love.? I?m going to take the expectations down a few notches and suggest ?All You Need Is Politeness.? That wouldn?t have solved Precious?s problems by any means, but maybe she could have taken a breath, mustered some hope, experienced even for a moment another way of being in the world if she encountered more kind strangers.
Clearly I won?t be watching that movie again any time soon, but its impact will be rippling through me for a long, long time.
Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com. (more…)
Filed under: personalfinancenewsss.wordpress.com | Tags: Need, Politeness
Last week I went to see a screening of the film Precious and, frankly, I?d rather run my nails down a blackboard than sit through it again.
It was that good.
If you?re confused by that seeming contradiction, you probably don?t know much about this film, which chronicles the story of a teen-aged girl (?Precious?) who is obese, abused and pregnant for the second time. It is so graphic and so jarring that when people asked me about it later my response was unintelligible. I wanted to put my hands over my ears, close my eyes and just babble, ?la, la, la, la ??
But, nearly a week later, what this film has left me with is completely rethinking how I engage people I come into contact with in life. By showing the despicable acts of violence and the glimpse at how abuse is passed down through generations, viewers experienced an in-your-face presentation of something that is almost never in our faces.
Perhaps it needs to be.
The screening I attended courtesy of Safe Horizon — Mission: Moving victims of violence from crisis to confidence — was filled with gifted New York professionals who deal with this on a regular basis and are equipped to help in meaningful ways. But let?s face it. Most of us are not social workers or guidance counselors who might have a direct, institutional means to help a troubled teen like Precious. Or, for that matter, an adult who is living in an abusive situation. In fact, we may think we don?t even know anyone in that category.
Think again. Every day we encounter a client, a person next to us on the subway, a cashier at the grocery store, the co-worker we frequently have lunch with or the co-worker we only see occasionally on the elevator. Is it such a big effort to ask, what is our responsibility to them? And what is the difference in that responsibility to the person we see in the local coffee shop as opposed to our close friend? When do we get involved? Mind our own business? Lend an ear? When do we simply meet their eyes and smile? At the very least, can?t we muster politeness?
While certainly the abuse in her home was Precious? biggest problem by far, the harassment on the street and the stares as she rode the subway were like a horrific piling on. Was anyone wondering what was behind her blank stare? Her suspicious glare? Would I have? When people are enduring an inordinate amount of stress, often their minds are numb or whirring like a projector. Either way that?s tough to reach.
I am not suggesting we all start walking up to strangers and insert ourselves into their lives, but maybe think about the person who works two cubicles down and consider what might be going on in her life that accounts for her scattered state, tardiness, disconnect, etc. before talking her down to co-workers, dismissing her, or assuming her aloofness has anything to do with us personally.
Why add to someone?s strife by tossing out a sarcastic line or throwing a dirty look? At this polarizing time in our nation, it would be something to start dealing with others person by person. Maybe those of us not currently plagued by a chronically ill loved one or a decision about how to get out of an abusive situation or choking debt can cast a reassuring smile in another?s direction. That?s something.
Not every cashier, toll taker, gas station attendant, receptionist and waitress we encounter is in crisis mode, but it wouldn?t take much effort to assume they are. It takes just as much energy to express your gruff indifference as it does to be polite.
Ever since I saw Precious I find myself looking into people?s eyes more when I?m out and about and trying to get a read on if they could be another ?Precious.? I recently sat in an otherwise quiet Barnes & Noble when a woman talking on her phone made call after call. She was trying to line up some relief from the side symptoms of her chemotherapy. The best thing I could do for her was keep drinking my coffee and reading my book, and so I did.
The Beatles told us once that ?All You Need Is Love.? I?m going to take the expectations down a few notches and suggest ?All You Need Is Politeness.? That wouldn?t have solved Precious?s problems by any means, but maybe she could have taken a breath, mustered some hope, experienced even for a moment another way of being in the world if she encountered more kind strangers.
Clearly I won?t be watching that movie again any time soon, but its impact will be rippling through me for a long, long time.
Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com. (more…)
Filed under: personalfinancenewsss.wordpress.com | Tags: Need, Politeness
Last week I went to see a screening of the film Precious and, frankly, I?d rather run my nails down a blackboard than sit through it again.
It was that good.
If you?re confused by that seeming contradiction, you probably don?t know much about this film, which chronicles the story of a teen-aged girl (?Precious?) who is obese, abused and pregnant for the second time. It is so graphic and so jarring that when people asked me about it later my response was unintelligible. I wanted to put my hands over my ears, close my eyes and just babble, ?la, la, la, la ??
But, nearly a week later, what this film has left me with is completely rethinking how I engage people I come into contact with in life. By showing the despicable acts of violence and the glimpse at how abuse is passed down through generations, viewers experienced an in-your-face presentation of something that is almost never in our faces.
Perhaps it needs to be.
The screening I attended courtesy of Safe Horizon — Mission: Moving victims of violence from crisis to confidence — was filled with gifted New York professionals who deal with this on a regular basis and are equipped to help in meaningful ways. But let?s face it. Most of us are not social workers or guidance counselors who might have a direct, institutional means to help a troubled teen like Precious. Or, for that matter, an adult who is living in an abusive situation. In fact, we may think we don?t even know anyone in that category.
Think again. Every day we encounter a client, a person next to us on the subway, a cashier at the grocery store, the co-worker we frequently have lunch with or the co-worker we only see occasionally on the elevator. Is it such a big effort to ask, what is our responsibility to them? And what is the difference in that responsibility to the person we see in the local coffee shop as opposed to our close friend? When do we get involved? Mind our own business? Lend an ear? When do we simply meet their eyes and smile? At the very least, can?t we muster politeness?
While certainly the abuse in her home was Precious? biggest problem by far, the harassment on the street and the stares as she rode the subway were like a horrific piling on. Was anyone wondering what was behind her blank stare? Her suspicious glare? Would I have? When people are enduring an inordinate amount of stress, often their minds are numb or whirring like a projector. Either way that?s tough to reach.
I am not suggesting we all start walking up to strangers and insert ourselves into their lives, but maybe think about the person who works two cubicles down and consider what might be going on in her life that accounts for her scattered state, tardiness, disconnect, etc. before talking her down to co-workers, dismissing her, or assuming her aloofness has anything to do with us personally.
Why add to someone?s strife by tossing out a sarcastic line or throwing a dirty look? At this polarizing time in our nation, it would be something to start dealing with others person by person. Maybe those of us not currently plagued by a chronically ill loved one or a decision about how to get out of an abusive situation or choking debt can cast a reassuring smile in another?s direction. That?s something.
Not every cashier, toll taker, gas station attendant, receptionist and waitress we encounter is in crisis mode, but it wouldn?t take much effort to assume they are. It takes just as much energy to express your gruff indifference as it does to be polite.
Ever since I saw Precious I find myself looking into people?s eyes more when I?m out and about and trying to get a read on if they could be another ?Precious.? I recently sat in an otherwise quiet Barnes & Noble when a woman talking on her phone made call after call. She was trying to line up some relief from the side symptoms of her chemotherapy. The best thing I could do for her was keep drinking my coffee and reading my book, and so I did.
The Beatles told us once that ?All You Need Is Love.? I?m going to take the expectations down a few notches and suggest ?All You Need Is Politeness.? That wouldn?t have solved Precious?s problems by any means, but maybe she could have taken a breath, mustered some hope, experienced even for a moment another way of being in the world if she encountered more kind strangers.
Clearly I won?t be watching that movie again any time soon, but its impact will be rippling through me for a long, long time.
Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com. (more…)
Filed under: personalfinancenewsss.wordpress.com | Tags: Need, Politeness
Last week I went to see a screening of the film Precious and, frankly, I’d rather run my nails down a blackboard than sit through it again.
It was that good.
If you’re confused by that seeming contradiction, you probably don’t know much about this film, which chronicles the story of a teen-aged girl (“Precious”) who is obese, abused and pregnant for the second time. It is so graphic and so jarring that when people asked me about it later my response was unintelligible. I wanted to put my hands over my ears, close my eyes and just babble, “la, la, la, la …”
But, nearly a week later, what this film has left me with is completely rethinking how I engage people I come into contact with in life. By showing the despicable acts of violence and the glimpse at how abuse is passed down through generations, viewers experienced an in-your-face presentation of something that is almost never in our faces.
Perhaps it needs to be.
The screening I attended courtesy of Safe Horizon — Mission: Moving victims of violence from crisis to confidence — was filled with gifted New York professionals who deal with this on a regular basis and are equipped to help in meaningful ways. But let’s face it. Most of us are not social workers or guidance counselors who might have a direct, institutional means to help a troubled teen like Precious. Or, for that matter, an adult who is living in an abusive situation. In fact, we may think we don’t even know anyone in that category.
Think again. Every day we encounter a client, a person next to us on the subway, a cashier at the grocery store, the co-worker we frequently have lunch with or the co-worker we only see occasionally on the elevator. Is it such a big effort to ask, what is our responsibility to them? And what is the difference in that responsibility to the person we see in the local coffee shop as opposed to our close friend? When do we get involved? Mind our own business? Lend an ear? When do we simply meet their eyes and smile? At the very least, can’t we muster politeness?
While certainly the abuse in her home was Precious’ biggest problem by far, the harassment on the street and the stares as she rode the subway were like a horrific piling on. Was anyone wondering what was behind her blank stare? Her suspicious glare? Would I have? When people are enduring an inordinate amount of stress, often their minds are numb or whirring like a projector. Either way that’s tough to reach.
I am not suggesting we all start walking up to strangers and insert ourselves into their lives, but maybe think about the person who works two cubicles down and consider what might be going on in her life that accounts for her scattered state, tardiness, disconnect, etc. before talking her down to co-workers, dismissing her, or assuming her aloofness has anything to do with us personally.
Why add to someone’s strife by tossing out a sarcastic line or throwing a dirty look? At this polarizing time in our nation, it would be something to start dealing with others person by person. Maybe those of us not currently plagued by a chronically ill loved one or a decision about how to get out of an abusive situation or choking debt can cast a reassuring smile in another’s direction. That’s something.
Not every cashier, toll taker, gas station attendant, receptionist and waitress we encounter is in crisis mode, but it wouldn’t take much effort to assume they are. It takes just as much energy to express your gruff indifference as it does to be polite.
Ever since I saw Precious I find myself looking into people’s eyes more when I’m out and about and trying to get a read on if they could be another “Precious.” I recently sat in an otherwise quiet Barnes & Noble when a woman talking on her phone made call after call. She was trying to line up some relief from the side symptoms of her chemotherapy. The best thing I could do for her was keep drinking my coffee and reading my book, and so I did.
The Beatles told us once that “All You Need Is Love.” I’m going to take the expectations down a few notches and suggest “All You Need Is Politeness.” That wouldn’t have solved Precious’s problems by any means, but maybe she could have taken a breath, mustered some hope, experienced even for a moment another way of being in the world if she encountered more kind strangers.
Clearly I won’t be watching that movie again any time soon, but its impact will be rippling through me for a long, long time.
Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com.
Filed under: personalfinancenewsss.wordpress.com | Tags: Address, Aims, better, Campaign, Conditions, Media, Need, Sanitation, social
When Todd Lieman says he wants to cut through the crap, it?s almost poignant. Or at least as poignant as talking about excrement can be.
I put aside my own squeamishness and made an effort not to scrunch up my face as I plunged into researching this campaign addressing the need for better sanitation conditions in much of the world. It?s called ?Twitter for Sh-tters? and it is not designed so much to shock as to grab your attention.
?We wanted to bring the sanitation discussion out of euphemisms,? Lieman said.
The grassroots campaign was conceived by Skadaddle Media ? Lieman is its founder and co-president with Jon Wank — for Wherever the Need, a United States-based non-profit that takes a holistic approach to the provision and use of eco-sanitation toilets and water. According to its Web site, the organization?s core aim is ?the building of eco-sanitation toilets, which we believe to be vital to the good health of both people and the planet. We combine this with the provision and conservation of clean drinking water for people and, where possible, livestock, crops and trees.?
While causes whose mission is to clean up water are rightfully gaining steam, the idea of the Twitter for Sh-tters movement is to go a step deeper.
?You get clean water by cleaning up sanitation,? Lieman said. ?As long as people keep relieving themselves outside, water will keep getting polluted.?
For anyone who has seen the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire , this is not a huge revelation. One of the most memorable scenes in the movie involved ? well, let?s just say the mere memory is turning my stomach.
?If the source is people having to crap outside, then we?re at the source,? Lieman said.
But there?s more than his word that this cause needs attention. According to author Rose George?s book titled The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why it Matters , 2.6 billion people (that?s over a third of the world?s population) live without toilets or proper sanitation and every dollar invested in sanitation brings an average $7 return in health costs averted and productivity gained.
So this is how Twitter for Sh-tters is helping to alleviate the problem. The Web site accepts donations and even has a counter with updates on how much has already been raised (every $400 buys another eco-san toilet). Or an interested party can become a Daily Dumper, which means as a Twitter user — whether they have five followers or 5,000 — they spend the day tweeting to try and get their followers to donate (@tw_tter4sh_tter and #T4S). As the Web site puts it, ?The point is to take this long-avoided topic and, pardon the expression, step right in it.?
Not only does this campaign distinguish itself in its innovative use of social media, unlike so many causes it also isn?t going out of its way to tug at heartstrings.
?We?re not trying to guilt anybody into anything,? Lieman said. ?If you have a bidet and a heated toilet seat, good for you. Read a novel in there. The way we see it, there?s a zillion important causes. Maybe this one is yours.?
The response has been mostly positive, but the crude ?tell it like it is? approach has its share of naysayers. What Lieman knows is that he has a happy client, one that came because of Skadaddle Media?s creative ?aha moments? campaign for Mutual of Omaha.
?The client loves it,? Lieman said. ?They?ve been trying to do this for a long time. The [old] conversation has not been effective. We said, ?Let?s try this out in social media.??
As for naysayers in general, Lieman recently had some thoughts about schadenfreude while competing in a few marathons.
?Even in a small race, there were people out there applauding the runners,? Lieman said. ?Then there are volunteers setting up tables of water and people handing you the water. Total strangers were offering me a high five. Communities were coming together. I thought, ?Every day should be like this.? We get caught up in applauding the demise of other people. Let?s remember what we?re doing out here.?
In some cases, giving people the most basic of things.
Poignant, right?
Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: CARD, credit, find, Just, Limits, money, Need, slashed, They, users
** FILE ** Signs for American Express, Master Card and Visa credit cards are shown on a New York store’s door on in this July 23, 2007 file photo. Americans are falling behind on their credit card payments at an alarming rate, sending delinquencies and defaults surging by double-digit percentages in the last year and prompting warnings of worse to come. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)
SAN FRANCISCO–If you haven’t yet had your credit limit slashed on one of your credit cards, it’s highly likely you will — if Meredith Whitney is right, that is.
Whitney, an analyst and managing director at Oppenheimer & Co. who predicted the current financial-services industry meltdown, now says credit-card issuers will eliminate more than $2 trillion in available credit over the next 18 months.
Already, lenders have cut back on available credit due to their heightened aversion to risk and difficulty in funding loans. Before the financial crisis, consumer loans could be sold on a secondary market and the proceeds could help to spur more lending, but that market has largely dried up. See Consumer Watch on card issuers raising interest rates, fees.
Whitney warns that new accounting rules that will force lenders to record outstanding credit-card loans on their balance sheets, combined with the Federal Reserve’s expected changes in credit card regulations — including limiting lenders’ ability to raise rates on consumers’ existing debt — will prompt them to cut access to credit lines even more.
“Restricting lenders’ ability to reprice an unsecured loan will cause them to stop lending or to lend less,” Whitney said in a recent opinion piece in the Financial Times. Whitney was unavailable to comment for this article. See story on Federal Reserve’s upcoming changes to credit-card rules.
To the degree that limited access to credit dampens consumer spending further, that could severely hinder an economic recovery. See story on biggest drop in consumer spending in seven years.
“Specific to the credit-card industry, we believe that well over $2 trillion of lines will be pulled over the next 18 months, the result of risk aversion and funding challenges, but also regulatory and accounting changes,” Whitney and her colleagues wrote in a Nov. 30 research report.
“The severe consequence of this cannot be overstated,” the report said. “While just over 70% of U.S. households have credit cards, over 90% of those households revolve credit at some point during the year, or in other words use credit card lines as a cash management vehicle.
“Pulling credit at a time when job losses are increasing by over 50% year on year in most key states is a dangerous and unprecedented combination, in our view,” the report said.
Still, some economists note that many consumers have access to credit lines — often tens of thousands of dollars’ worth — that they don’t use.
“There are plenty of middle- to higher-income folks out there who may have a $20,000 line on their credit card but they rarely use more than $2,000 of it. If you knock that line down to $4,000 or $5,000, so what?” said Scott Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics at Moody’s Economy.com. “There is another set of consumers who may have a $2,000 credit line and are borrowing $1,500, $1,800 on an ongoing basis. If you whack their credit line, that’s going to impact them pretty severely,” he said.
“Without knowing how the distribution [of the pull-back in credit] is going to fall among consumers and how much of a utilized line is going to be cut, it’s really hard to say what the overall impact is going to be,” Hoyt said.
Cutting $2 trillion still leaves $2 trillion
Bill Hampel, chief economist with the Credit Union National Association, noted that there’s almost $1 trillion in outstanding credit-card debt currently — it’s about $976 billion according to the latest Federal Reserve figures — and the current ratio of borrowing against available credit is about 20%, according to FDIC figures.
“That means there is about $5 trillion outstanding now of available lines of credit,” he said, with about $1 trillion of it borrowed. If Whitney is right and about $2 trillion of available credit is eliminated, that still leaves about $2 trillion available — twice as much as is currently tapped by consumers, Hampel said.
Still, he’s quick to add that “doesn’t mean [further credit cuts] would have no effect.”
For instance, consider consumers who are carrying a balance and for whom a decrease in credit limit would put them much closer to their limit. “Bingo. They’d stop spending on that card,” Hampel said.
Plus, there’s a psychological effect on consumers. “If households thought they had less of a liquidity back-up available on their credit cards than they did before, that would reduce spending.”
Others agreed the overall effect is hard to judge, as it depends heavily on which consumers are affected. Thus far, credit-card issuers appear to be both focusing their efforts on the least creditworthy borrowers as well as making across-the-board changes regardless of borrowers’ credit standing.
Some lenders have pulled lines “from certain perceived high-risk ZIP codes or areas of weakened home values; others have pulled more uniformly,” according to the Oppenheimer report, which focused on the five biggest credit-card issuers.
Peter Morici, an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, said that his own credit-card interest rate has been raised. “Everybody is getting their rates raised, no matter what their status is. I have sparkling credit, I haven’t borrowed in years, and [I have] a large income … they raised my rate,” he said.
“It doesn’t affect us … but it does affect those people who do carry balances and there are a lot of them out there,” he said. “It’s people often with small incomes who get in a jam — they need to fix their car. This is going to come down really hard on the working poor or the lower middle class. The banks are trying to balance their books on the backs of the poor,” he said.
Plus, the current state of the job market poses a major risk. “A lot of people haven’t been using credit. If they lose their jobs, they’re going to start to,” Morici said.
What you can do
For consumers who find their credit limit cut or interest rate raised, there are not a lot of options:
Depending on the terms of your credit-card agreement and the laws governing the credit-card issuer, which vary depending on the state in which the company is chartered, the credit-card issuer may offer an opt-out provision when raising interest rates. That means you can contact your lender to tell them you will pay off your balance at the current rate but will close your account (that may happen immediately or after the balance is paid off, depending on the lender’s terms). A lower credit limit will often ding your credit score. One way to bring your score up is to pay down your debt. If you can’t do that immediately, another solution is to call your lender and seek a higher limit. They may listen to a borrower with top-tier credit. Another option is to seek credit elsewhere. Try a small regional bank or a credit union. If you have good credit, “credit unions, and I suspect small banks, too, still have room on their balance sheets to take on additional loans,” Hampel said. If you find yourself falling into a financial vortex due to rising credit-card bills, consider contacting a consumer credit counseling agency. Try the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at NFCC.org or the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco, which works with consumers nationwide, at CCCSSF.org. You won’t be alone. Calls to NFCC increased 87% in the second week of November and 170% in the third week of November, compared with the same time periods a year ago.
Also, the traditional personal-finance advice exhorting consumers to pay off credit cards before doing anything else may be turned on its head these days.
“The old advice was that you would pay off your credit cards and the credit cards would be there as emergency backup,” said Gerri Detweiler, a credit adviser with Credit.com. “You might want to start stockpiling some savings before you aggressively pay down cards, so you have liquid savings as a back-up in case your issuer does close the credit line. Once you have at least somewhat of a cushion, then you can go ahead aggressively try to pay down your credit card,” she said.
“Financially it’s not going to save you the most money, but it’s the new reality for a lot of consumers who have assumed that credit would always be there for them.”
Copyright 2008 MarketWatch, Inc. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: back, Losers, Need, sore, step, winners
For some reason, over the past week one of the things I keep thinking about with regard to the 2008 presidential election is a moment after the last Super Bowl. As the New York Giants were just minutes into celebrating one of the most exciting victories in sports history, a sports reporter on the field asked a euphoric player how they could possibly top this next year.
Are you kidding me?
Having been a sports writer for nearly 15 years, I was disappointed that someone could reach that level in a journalistic career and not report what is happening in the moment. Celebration is a time for those involved to revel and express and for those reporting to absorb and listen. It is not a time to set out the game plan for next year. That question is more appropriate in training camp the following season.
Triumphs and setbacks reveal so much about people, don?t they? Whether they live in the moment or must always think ahead. If their glass is more often half empty than half full. If then can enjoy joy. If in loss they immediately go to excuses instead of reasons.
And therein lies the comparison to our political climate now. There has been a clear victory and a clear loss. A shift has happened and it has produced — depending on the camp you?re in and your overall attitude about life — euphoria, disgust, hope, dread, change, fear. There have been sore winners and sore losers running rampant.
Debates rage on. Does our country lean right-center, left-center or center-center now? Is there a mandate for the president-elect or isn?t there? My oh my. Could these discussions be any more grounded in ego?
Dr. Phil often asks guests on his show when he?s trying to mediate if they want to solve the problem or if they just want to be right. If he senses it?s the latter, he puts his hands in the air or shrugs because he knows the issue will not get resolved if ego is controlling the process.
Likewise, when life-coaching clients present me with a situation like a difficult relationship with a co-worker, the first thing I try to assess is their willingness to really resolve the bigger issue of the relationship. That means, are they willing to take a role in making their work environment more peaceful? If they are bogged down in ?he said this? and then ?she said this? and then blah, blah, blah, I know I?m dealing with someone for whom resolution means the other person does all the changing. At that point, they?re presented with a choice — take your power or wallow in your bruised ego.
That applies in our nation now. Perhaps whatever your political affiliation, it?s a good time to jump in and get more involved. Be proactive instead of reactive. Express yourself to your elected officials. Do some volunteering. Write a check to an organization you believe in. Be the change instead of railing against it.
I started this column talking about being in the present. As we move into the transition phase of our electoral process, as the euphoria, disgust, hope, dread, change, and fear level off a bit, it would be so gratifying if we could optimistically approach the gradual unfolding of a new administration taking shape.
Should the political parties create a game plan for moving forward and take a hard look at themselves? Of course.
But please. Let the feeling of glory and pain that come with winning and losing breathe for a little while. Let them wash over us.
After all, an underdog doesn?t beat an established powerhouse to win the Super Bowl in miraculous fashion very often. Methinks they both have a lot to digest, in the moment and otherwise.
Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: back, Losers, Need, sore, step, winners
For some reason, over the past week one of the things I keep thinking about with regard to the 2008 presidential election is a moment after the last Super Bowl. As the New York Giants were just minutes into celebrating one of the most exciting victories in sports history, a sports reporter on the field asked a euphoric player how they could possibly top this next year.
Are you kidding me?
Having been a sports writer for nearly 15 years, I was disappointed that someone could reach that level in a journalistic career and not report what is happening in the moment. Celebration is a time for those involved to revel and express and for those reporting to absorb and listen. It is not a time to set out the game plan for next year. That question is more appropriate in training camp the following season.
Triumphs and setbacks reveal so much about people, don’t they? Whether they live in the moment or must always think ahead. If their glass is more often half empty than half full. If then can enjoy joy. If in loss they immediately go to excuses instead of reasons.
And therein lies the comparison to our political climate now. There has been a clear victory and a clear loss. A shift has happened and it has produced — depending on the camp you’re in and your overall attitude about life — euphoria, disgust, hope, dread, change, fear. There have been sore winners and sore losers running rampant.
Debates rage on. Does our country lean right-center, left-center or center-center now? Is there a mandate for the president-elect or isn’t there? My oh my. Could these discussions be any more grounded in ego?
Dr. Phil often asks guests on his show when he’s trying to mediate if they want to solve the problem or if they just want to be right. If he senses it’s the latter, he puts his hands in the air or shrugs because he knows the issue will not get resolved if ego is controlling the process.
Likewise, when life-coaching clients present me with a situation like a difficult relationship with a co-worker, the first thing I try to assess is their willingness to really resolve the bigger issue of the relationship. That means, are they willing to take a role in making their work environment more peaceful? If they are bogged down in “he said this” and then “she said this” and then blah, blah, blah, I know I’m dealing with someone for whom resolution means the other person does all the changing. At that point, they’re presented with a choice — take your power or wallow in your bruised ego.
That applies in our nation now. Perhaps whatever your political affiliation, it’s a good time to jump in and get more involved. Be proactive instead of reactive. Express yourself to your elected officials. Do some volunteering. Write a check to an organization you believe in. Be the change instead of railing against it.
I started this column talking about being in the present. As we move into the transition phase of our electoral process, as the euphoria, disgust, hope, dread, change, and fear level off a bit, it would be so gratifying if we could optimistically approach the gradual unfolding of a new administration taking shape.
Should the political parties create a game plan for moving forward and take a hard look at themselves? Of course.
But please. Let the feeling of glory and pain that come with winning and losing breathe for a little while. Let them wash over us.
After all, an underdog doesn’t beat an established powerhouse to win the Super Bowl in miraculous fashion very often. Methinks they both have a lot to digest, in the moment and otherwise.
Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com
