wallydownundy

Have been suffering from heightened anxiety levels leading me to cut back to one cup of coffee each morning. As a reliable commuter on public transport, my routine includes tearing open the business section of “The Australian” as soon as the 8:05 am bus departs fot the city.

Today even the front pages is business-focused. The Fairfax family (an Australian publishing dynasty) have taken out morgages on property owned by the family for more than 100 years. In Seattle the daily newspaper closed turning 145 employees out on the street. Executives at AIG are still getting US$450 million in bonuses - as are the leaders at Rio Tinto and its Alcan division. Seems the rotten performance of their companies under their leadership is not linked to their pay packages.

So by the time I arrive at work at 8:35 I’m a hive of complex emotions and concerns. How can I survive this downturn? What’s to become of my family? How can I predict my business’ success when multi-million dollar enterprises are failing? (Did I say million? I meant billion!)

Perhaps the best advice came from my business partner. She recommends denial. Instead of reading the news on the ride to work I should bring a good novel. Take a fortnight off of newspapers and perhaps the negative side-effects of my addiction will pass (racing heart, sleepless nights, counting steps).

Now I’ll rely on my partner to act as filter. She just showed me a headline from “The Financial Review”:

“First stop worrying, then expect a rally”