Inflation & Instability

It’s no secret that our hard-earned dollars are stretched increasingly thin these days. Inflation woes have struck nearly every facet of daily life, from bills and groceries to even formerly budget-friendly fast food. Exacerbating matters is much-lamented wage stagnation, outlined here by the American Bar Association. Though overall productivity has increased— perhaps due to trends like “quiet hiring,” wherein employees are tasked with ever-expanding responsibilities—overall compensation has not.

It may seem that the more we do, the less we have. As detailed by the Mercer consulting firm in this workforce trends report, many of us continue to have less to show for levels of skyrocketing burnout. To compensate, some have taken to doom spending in an attempt to alleviate the stress of a bleak financial future by living for today. Though undoubtedly perilous, there is indeed some correlation between money and happiness—one helps pave the way to the other, as emphasized in this WSJ podcast.

Yet in times of worry and stress, it’s in our connections to each other that we find solace. As depicted in this video by Veritasium, the depth of our relationships is the well from which we draw meaningful happiness. It’s through our relationships with one another as family, friends, or colleagues that we’re able to better overcome adversity. It’s through these relationships that we truly enjoy times of prosperity.

Nonetheless, as intensely discussed in this podcast with Simon Sinek and Professor Scott Galloway, the weight of economic challenges may seem to overshadow the merits of connection. Yet rather than ephemeral feel-good-now tactics, we would better serve ourselves and each other by recognizing and asserting our needs and boundaries, both individual and collective.

Life is full of unique ups and downs for each of us. Through greater self-awareness, such as offered by insightful tools like the SurePeople Prism®, we can better maneuver those ups and downs. We can recognize our needs and the needs of those closest to us, thus helping us collaborate on paving the way to brighter days, as seen in recent community movements like “Buy Nothing” groups, covered in this video from the Today Show.

Life’s challenges may be ubiquitous, but they aren’t insurmountable when we have connection and community. Thus should we be generous with our time and be there for others. Let them be there for us. Money is material, but human connection is celestial.

“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.”
– George Horace Lorimer