23 December 2010
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics just released the latest details on the
American job market. The report mixed good news with bad – private-sector firms
created 159,000 new jobs in October, but the unemployment rate remains persistently
high, at 9.6 percent.
Policymakers continue to search for ways to help those looking for work to find
jobs. The minority business community should be at the center of that conversation.
Minority firms have been an engine of job growth for the U.S. economy in recent
years, outpacing growth within the general business community for most of the
last decade.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people employed at minority-owned
businesses jumped 27 percent Ð from 4.7 million to 5.9 million Ð between 2002
and 2007. Job growth for non-minority-owned firms was less than one percent
during that time.
In those five years, the number of minority-owned firms in the United States
grew 46 percent, to a total of 5.8 million. Meanwhile, the number of firms in
the overall economy expanded at less than half that rate.
Minority businesses are emerging as leading exporters, too. They exported to
41 countries on six continents between 1992 and 2009, according to the U.S.
Export Import Bank. With these figures in mind, there's no doubt that minority
entrepreneurs will lead the American business community's charge to double exports
within the next five years, as the president's National Export Initiative has
challenged them to do.
While minority-owned businesses are growing at a breakneck pace, disparities
continue to exist between minority- and non-minority-owned firms. Just 800,000
of the nearly six million minority firms in existence have more than one employee.
And, the annual revenue for the average minority-owned firm is about $300,000
less than that of a non-minority-owned firm.
Closing the entrepreneurial revenue gap between minority- and nonminority-owned
businesses based on the share of the adult minority population would add $2.5
trillion to our nation's economic output, creating 11.8 million more American
jobs, and unleashing the innovation of an economic sector that has long been
undervalued.
Corporate America can strengthen its efforts to make minority-owned businesses
a larger part of its global supply chain, and minority business owners can and
should do a better job of embracing aggressive growth models and capitalizing
on opportunities for alliances, mergers, and strategic partnerships.
Minority-owned firms don't have to pursue these growth strategies blindly. The
Minority Business Development Agency at the U.S. Department of Commerce supports
more than 40 business centers around the country to help minority-owned firms
secure access to capital and contracts and assistance in entering growing foreign
markets.
As we look for ways to create more jobs for Americans still desperately in need,
shining a light on the economic potential of the minority-business community
can significantly benefit the American people and the U.S. economy.
Arrive at a State of Grace
Anger can be caused by external events, for instance you could get angry about
the causes of the country's long-term economic woes; you may be angry about
your finances and employment picture.
I have reached a state of grace and peacefulness. I was being told I made things
look easy. But, everyone who's had success knows that it looks easy because
a tremendous amount of time and effort has gone into making it look that way.
Easy is simple and simple is easy when you find balance and harmony in your
mind and heart. I don't want it to sound like my journey to this place was without
challenges. That's not the case at all. But, I am in awe of how fluid my life
became when I realized that I wasn't in control of anything outside of me. It's
a beautiful place to inhabit.
Anger is a normal, usually healthy emotion. But, when it turns destructive it
can affect the very quality of our lives. Fits of angry display that he needs
medical intervention; I was struck at the thought of how ill-equipped we are
sometimes to deal with this particularly difficult emotion.
Most of us have had days when we have given in to our angry feelings and along
with the raised voices we can actually feel ourselves becoming hysterical. Stress
coupled with anger can insidiously eat away at our professional productivity
and personal happiness.
Managing or trying to control such feelings of stress and rage does not resolve
the problem that caused it in the first place. The underlying negative feelings
erupt frequently at the least provocation turning you into an emotional wreck.
What you must understand that you have to reduce the angry feelings by resolving
the underlying issues rather than mastering any techniques to keep them under
check.
Keep them at bay. Besides, there are ways to keep those angry emotions at bay.
Simple relaxation tools like deep breathing, soothing music can help calm you
down.
Emotionally healthy people are comfortable with their feelings of anger and
rage and know them for what they are. Depending on the situation they are able
to change their responses.
Once they have expressed their anger it does not return. Such people are genuinely
able to forgive because that old anger is forgotten. If you encounter a familiar
situation, which you know will annoy you, do not let it smother you.
Consciously making an attempt to relax and calm down, and telling yourself to
take it easy helps diffuse the situation to an extent. Yoga and meditation can
also help you relax your muscles and make you feel calmer.
Sometimes the environment or the surrounding you are working in may cause you
irritation. Problems and responsibilities at work can make you feel trapped
from which you see no way out. Go easy on yourself! Make sure you have some
personal time and space specially on stressful days.
Accept that difficult emotions like anger and rage are natural and part of everyday
life. Do not avoid them... that will give you only a temporary respite.
