Ever the wise sailor, I always (well, almost always) check the weather forecast before heading down to the boat to go out for the day.

This may or may not be a valuable activity. My wife jokes that in her next life she wants to be a weather forecaster. They never have to be right and they still get paid.

I have to agree that they are frequently wrong, and sometimes I have taken their prognostications to heart and they have caused me to miss a perfectly good sailing day. (As you may know, the sailing season is very short – it is less than 52 weeks per year, so I hate to miss even one day.)

There is also the ever popular expression that everybody talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.

The problem with weather is that it is very localized. In addition, the REAL information you may be seeking may be rather limited, as for example whether or not you need your umbrella today. In my case, I don’t care if the wind is north, south, east or west, although there is meaning in the wind direction. What I primarily want to know is whether or not it is going to be really windy (which I don’t like anymore), and of course, whether or not it is going to rain all day. A little sprinkle won’t bother me, but it does tend to dampen the spirits of the crew. (Ha, ha, ha!)

Anyway, the real forecasts and post forecast reviews that I wanted to bring to your attention tonight are more related to the economy and of particular relevance to all of us, the job market.

I would suggest to all of the members of The FENG, that although there are always a lot of doom and gloom forecasts out there, to a very large degree you need to ignore them.

Yes, I know this sounds silly, and perhaps it is, but what I would call to your attention is the tendency that by digesting all of the bad news that those in the media prefer to spread around, you may be allowing their forecast of continued “bad weather” to cause you to lower your energy level with regard to your search.

Job markets and job searches are VERY localized. What may be true for the general population may not be an absolute truth for you.

If you allow yourself to give in to the idea that the economy is bad and there are no jobs for you, you may be unconsciously reducing your efforts. (This is alternately known as having a bad attitude.)

Despite the economy or because of it, everyone needs to be hard at it, turning over every rock, making every phone call, responding to every ad, and networking, networking, networking.

I may be wrong, but it is my closely held belief that there are lots of problems to be solved “out in the world,” and I happen to know a large group of senior financial executives who have “been there and done that” and could dispose of them in short order. (At appropriate rates of pay, of course.)

So, let’s not let the forecast of stormy weather in the economy allow you to keep your boat tied to the dock. Get out the foul weather gear, put a reef in the main, and go sailing anyway. The sun has to come out eventually. And, perhaps you will be closer to your destination when it does.

Regards, Matt