Diego Potty

Is it really all in our minds?

What an amazing event, the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States and the first African American to the White House. So monumental was the moment that more than 2 million Americans crowded into the National Mall on a cold winter morning in Washington DC just to tell their children in years to come, "I was there."

Trains, planes, cars and more than 10,000 buses carrying some 4 million Americans in an average town. 13,000 a pot of Port have been put in place in the National Mall ready for the crowd. 90 military bands from secondary schools and community groups turned out for the parade and 81 years, Charlie Brotman said the big day as host of the president, a position he had for fifty two years!

The whole country stops, the witness and celebrate the moment. And an incredible moment in time it was the time of hope, change, reflection and anticipation.

So it begs the question.

At this point, where was the recession?

It seems that the recession for many, is a state of mind. When he is leading is Armageddon, but when he is on the road to a good party, a dinner with friends, or a reason to feel better, he has forgotten. So who is really hurt?

In recent weeks, I have my own little research on both the safety of my home in Florida during the Christmas holidays and my travels to Houston, New Orleans, Washington DC, New York San Diego, Fort Lauderdale, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Connecticut and a few pit stops in between. And it was really interesting.

As simple examples, it seems that companies nails and hair have never been occupied, bowling alleys have a field day, the restaurants are always the belts all meals and supersize any U.S. golf courses are still difficult to get a tee time. In other words, we are Whinging on slow sales and a market in a spiral, but someone is still spending money? So who is telling the real story?

The media report on retail sales are falling, and yet at Costco the chaos that goes on there every day can be compared with everyone scrambling to the toilet at half-time Superbowl.

I had dinner with a mate of mine last night, who cares about his "job minutes earlier and only took me around his house to show me his $ 340,000 renovation to his home.

I listened to whinge taxi driver on the economy as he took me on my short drive to Santa Monica in Los Angeles, yet he dressed like a banker.

I spent some time on the phone a real estate partner of mine who told me that 2008 was a year more shocking to him, and only a few sentences later, I suggested an elevator with him from California to a meeting in Arizona private jet on his life.

Here's my humble take on all this.

This is the 3rd real economic change that I experienced in the business. In 1987, when the market collapsed, I had only begun in private companies at a time when most people said, 'What are you doing, you're crazy "we had a field day in the real estate market and made a little money thought of a great little sideways on the market and how the work to our advantage in a time changing. I was new to companies and therefore had no belief system and do not fear that stopped me from thinking that companies could be anything but, well, good.

In 1997, during the Asian crisis, it was a different story. We hammered. But as I look back, we probably did not need to get the belts we have done if I had been a leader for better deals. I had been in business for nearly 10 years and had about 4 companies during this time in different categories. In 1997, I had a belief system, debt, staff and all the other stressors of the company. In 1997, business has been for me, well defined. Metrics and KPIs that I told W.