An explanation of THE SIGN

I spotted this great sign in Nelson and asked Realtor Colin Wilson to explain where he was coming from:

"Yes - it is my sign. It is on Main Road Stoke in the industrial park between Stoke and Richmond. On the other side is an ad for a commercial property. My idea is really made of a lot of things. The media and financial markets have decided that the world is in recession. Nov and Dec showed that the man on the street is not as bad off as one would think with retail sales being up on previous years. Also with property, people simply take notice of the news and react accordingly saying they will not make real estate decisions because the market is going to fall, times are tough etc etc. They don't make them and so the market stalls and everyone says ha ha ha I told you so. A local business consultant who has one of the largest consultancies in the US and is a lecturer on business made the comment in the Nelson Mail just before Xmas that in down times people should be encouraged to spend as it is the recycling of money that makes the world go round and makes people earn. Spend gives employers the money to pay and so protects jobs etc etc. Similarly if people carry on and make decisions based on what they want and not what they read and hear we would all be better off. Imagine this. How would the locals know there was a recession on if they didn't watch TV or read the paper or listen to the radio. So by taking in the news from any and all of the media people get it in their heads that there is a recession on. So the recession is in your head simply means do what you do and don't listen to the media. Sooner or later in these times people get sick of being told times are tough and they carry on and do what they want anyway and so things come right from the bottom up. If the man in the street doesn't spend the whole upper part of the economy crashes. The recovery starts from the man in the street spending and making retail sales and construction etc etc pull away. This whole thing while has hurt a lot of people in someway with investments. The down turn didn't start by people loosing jobs it started from finance companies not being able to pay investors. The man in the street was still getting his weekly wages. It is the effects of what goes on in your head that has now hurt the man in the street and threatened jobs generally is in your head My sign is there to give another idea to marketing - People take notice of signs that say nothing but make you look and wonder what this actually means and this was a way I could get a bit of thought out there. It worked I guess. Colin

'The Recession is in Your Head'

To my great interest, I recently noticed a real estate sign (on the Richmond Straight, Nelson) that said - “The recession is in your head”. Wow! I thought, even real estate agencies feel the same way! I asked First National to elaborate on this statement and Colin Wilson provided me with a detailed explanation. Personally, I find it's far more fun to simply ignore all the messages that the media are blasting out at every opportunity and focus on staying happy and working towards my goals and dreams. If I didn't, I'd be miserable. I mean, why join the millions of other people who are investing their thoughts in insecurity and fear? Some one's gotta stay happy. This economic cyclic down-turn has been collectively created, and it will eventually be collectively left-behind. At times like these I think it's highly important and very useful to a) find things to feel grateful for and b) be kind to people and c) relax. I've got heaps to feel grateful for – a son, partner who loves me, a drooling and eager to live life Golden Retriever, food in the kitchen, water that flows from magical metal pipes when ever I summon it, a pink mosquito net. And then there's giving thing - giving to others (not to mention being kind to ourselves), during moments of spontaneous generosity is one seriously joyful experience that is hard to beat. The relaxing thing is mega important too. It's a funny old thing, trying to relax. The secret is to do stuff that makes you feel good - what ever it is - surfing, singing, eating, watching tv, gardening, walking, roller skating, cooking, fixing stuff, meditating - anything that will lull you into a calmer, happier state of mind. Having moments to relax during each day can honestly keep one in great health - it's amazing how simple our needs really are.

Getting back to the afore mentioned 'goals and dreas' life is full of cycles – the tide, the seasons, the property market, the school year, the ebb and flow of relationships – and I think the hard times are useful in that they stimulate definite feelings of displeasure, and in doing so inspire us to yearn for something more. That's where the dreams come in – they're invaluable, immeasurably precious, and the seeds of our futures (greet them like old friends and encourage them to stick around!). I interviewed award winning singer/songer writer Anika Moa nine months ago for Happyzine, and I asked her what advice she had for up and coming musicians with dreams to make it as big as she has. She replied "practice, practice, practice'. In a way, when we dream, we're practicing the great moments of our future. Dreams may be invisible to begin with, but look around at all the houses in your neighborhood. Those houses all began as some one's dream, and now they're solid and being lived in and much bigger than you. You never know, day-dreaming may one day be encouraged as a national pass time (stranger things have happened), it's actually an extremely productive activity and will lead us into the next phase of the cycle. All you need is a quite moment to relax and let the mind return to its normal state. Perhaps, as the sign said, it is all in the head.