365-Something Days Later
I was doing a little reminiscing earlier this week as it marks one year since my departure from WXNT radio. As some of you know, I did the morning show there for nearly eight years when management decided that syndicated programming was preferable to local. It was what it was. I am capitalist so I can’t complain when people make decisions based on money. However, what I could do is what I did do, put “plan “B into operation.
Instead of complaining and talking how unfair people were, I decided to go into business for myself. So using my contacts that I have built up over the past few years I went and started my other web blog, Indy Politics, and it’s done pretty well. So far this year it’s had nearly 150,000 page views and a nice slew of advertisers. My “Cheat Sheet” gossip column is doing well also. Those few hundred or so subscribers helped pay for a vacation for the Lovely Mrs. Shabazz, a new flat screen TV and a ton of martinis, cigars and comic books. I’ve also increased my teaching load, picked up a couple nice consulting gigs and I even play lawyer on occasion. And we’ve majorly stepped up our local and statewide media presence with contributions to the Indy Star, NUVO, RTV 6, Inside Indiana Business and the Statehouse File.
I bring this up not to brag, well a little bit, but it demonstrates that in this tough economy, you can turn setbacks into opportunities if you are willing to keep a positive, but realistic, attitude, work smart and take advantage of them. It comes from always networking, keeping up your skills, keeping a lookout and surrounding yourself with positive people. I have always been surprised when people get laid off but have no back up plan. I learned a long time ago that you never do anything with a back up plan. And in the 21st Century, and the job climate the way it is, how could anyone not have a back-up plan? In fact my back-up plans have back-up plans.
The other thing I learned a long time ago is that sometimes positives really just mask themselves as negatives. Had the radio station and I not parted ways, I would have never tried to branch out on my own in this manner. A better example I like to use is that had my old girlfriend not broken up with me, I would have never have met my wife. So one year after being shown the door, a new door opened with a wealth of opportunity and possibilities.
And I get to sleep in until 6.
