Goal Setting for the New Year

 Hey Galionites,

As we approach the end of what's been an ... interesting ... year, I wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing.

New Years Resolutions and Goals Image by h kama from Pixabay

Me... I'm doing my best to look ahead to the coming year and put this... disaster of a year... in the rear view mirror.

Do You Set New Years Resolutions?

I think New Years Resolutions are an interesting concept, and I always wonder how others feel about them. 

I don't set resolutions, personally, because they're so easily cast aside - usually within a day or two.

I do, however, set goals, which I frequently revisit and adjust. 

I go with goal setting over resolutions because it matches the way I think, and, I guess, the things I learned about way back when I was in college. 

I tend to stick with goals - or at least revisit and adjust them - whereas I don't stick with resolutions. 

I don't want to waste your time chatting about my goals for the new year, though. 

What's the Difference Between Setting Goals and Making Resolutions?

When you set goals, you're looking at and comparing where you are to where to you want to be, whereas making a resolution is focused on something you want.

Making a resolution is more like wishing than putting your mental beans behind figuring out how to change anything in your world.

The difference, applying a realistic assessment, is one of the things that makes it more likely that a goal will succeed compared a resolution. 

There are also steps involved in goal setting, and if you put in the thought effort and list the steps you need to follow to achieve your goals, then you basically have a checklist you can use when you're working toward your goals. 

Mental Beans and Making a Goal-Setting Checklist

Goal setting checklist Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay

Setting goals can be challenging because it requires honestly evaluating your current situation and choosing the thing or things you most want to change. 

1. Evaluate your starting point.

Being honest with yourself about things you don't like - about yourself - can be tough. 

2. Choose your destination - a.k.a. your goal.

To make a map, you need to know your destination so you don't end up running around in circles with no end. 

3. Break your major goal into smaller, actionable steps and list them.

This step is so important, because it gives you clear things you can do to achieve your goal.

4. Add dates to have each step completed.

And, also set a date to reassess in case you need to adjust the steps or dates on the steps. 

Some Final Thoughts on New Years Goal Setting

So, you're probably wondering what this has to do with Galion. 

Well, people everywhere tend to put  a lot of emphasis on setting New Year's Resolutions, and Galionites are no different, right?

Especially after the kind of year 2020 has been it's normal to want to start fresh with 2021 and some great new, potentially life-changing goals!

If you're setting goals (or making resolutions) for the new year, I wish you the best of luck in succeeding. 

If you're not, I get it, some years I don't either.

Either way, I wish you and your loved ones a happy and prosperous new year, and I hope everything you want from the new year comes to pass!

Happy New Year 2021 Image by Ljiljana Smilevski from Pixabay

Tips for Dealing With Stress When Dealing With the Unknown

 I don't get to post here on Galionite as often as I would like, and when I found myself with a bit of extra time this morning, I thought I would pop in with an update. 

Image by Mabel Amber from Pixabay

Since coronavirus kind of makes it feel like life is on hold, and the whole year of 2020 has pretty much been one disaster after another, dealing with stress when dealing with the unknown is the first thing that came to mind as a topic to cover. 

3 Doctor Approved Tips for Dealing With Stress

First I want to share some tips stress relief from Web MD - but with some ideas of my own on how to take of advantage of them here in Galion.

1. Exercise for Stress Relief

One of the great things about small town life in a city like Galion is you can choose from a variety of active things to do. (I guess they're mostly walking-based since I haven't checked in to see if the Community Center is open yet.) 

Good sidewalks in most areas make it easy to walk or jog around town. The parks offer plenty of room to move around in the fresh air. There are also the reservoirs to explore and, of course, the new bike trail.

2. Practice Deep Breathing for Less Stress

Taking a few deep breaths can make you feel calmer, it can also help you reset your thoughts. When you're dealing with uncertainty and don't know what to do, it can help to step away and inhale deeply. Try thinking about something other than whatever stresses you out, and come back to it when you're feeling more at ease.

The parks are a great place to try this if you can get away. if you can't get out, this can be easy as slipping off to the bathroom or even hiding in a dark closet for a few minutes. 

3. Ease Stress by Enjoying a Favorite Hobby

Immersing yourself in a hobby is a pleasant way to escape stress for a bit, and there are places in Galion where you can pick up some hobby and craft supplies. For example, if you enjoy crafting, Dollar Tree crafts are hugely popular and can be a blast to make. 

I've also found supplies for different hobbies at the Goodwill store, though that's a toss up because they have different things every time, and at Drug Mart. 

Gardening for Stress Relief

Gardening is a comforting way to unwind and enjoy a break from the stress of dealing with the unknown. When you relieve stress by gardening, it's also a way to practice earthing, or grounding which can help with a number of ailments, according to some experts.

"According to numerous experts, including some who prepared a report on earthing for the NCBI website, contact with the earth can help with a variety of ailments, including chronic inflammation, wounds that heal slowly, and autoimmune disorders."                                                                                                                                                                     - Quote from Intrinsic Vicissitude

Thanks for visiting Galionite, be sure to stop back soon, and I hope this short post added something positive to your day!

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and the Economy: Updated August 28, 2020

While I would have been okay with being wrong... as I predicted on August 1, 2020 ...

"Already, there are signs of consumer stress from the loss of $600 in extra unemployment aid last month. Those benefits, directed by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, provided income worth $1.2 trillion on an annualized basis, according to Oxford Economics. Without that aid, personal income will decline 5%, or below pre-pandemic levels, its economists said last month.  ...   Expect more pain ahead, economists are warning.  ...  "President Donald Trump's executive orders are providing even less relief to households than initially expected in the absence of a more comprehensive fiscal aid package," Oxford Economics Lead Economist Nancy Vanden Houten said in a research note. "The steep decline in federal support for unemployed workers and heightened uncertainty will depress consumer confidence and spending."" - Microsoft News

I enjoy the study of economics and would like to chat a bit about the effect of pandemic unemployment assistance - as well as the likely effect on the economy of both the country - and the local area around Galion and Crawford County - due to it running out yesterday with no resolution. 

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

What Is Pandemic Unemployment Assistance?

To summarize, people receiving unemployment have been receiving an extra $600 per week on top of the existing unemployment benefit each week - which is a minimum of $189 and goes up based on income = or $789 + per week - since the start of the pandemic. 

The program providing this is referred to as pandemic unemployment assistance, or PUA for short.

PUA is an unemployment benefit that's only available during times of emergency, in this case, the coronavirus pandemic. 

Some Boring but Important US Economic Stats

• In the US, over 14.7 million people were unemployed and getting this benefit as of June 2020, according to The Balance. 
• Using the 14.7 million figure and minimum of $189 base, that means over $11,598,300,000 PER WEEK has been dropping into the US economy. 
• Even more significant than the huge amount of cash being distributed is the fact that this amount has been put directly into the hands of the people who are most likely to spend it quickly - and the economy STILL dropped by almost 33-percent. 
• An almost thirty-three percent drop in one quarter is the fastest drop in the history of this country.

Looking at those statistics, my question is: Since the economy is collapsing at a record rate - far beyond even that of the Great Depression, with over $11.5 billion being dumped into it each week: What is going to happen to the economy when the effect of that weekly PUA benefit ending takes over the economy? 

He Said, She Said and Pointing Fingers

The Democrats threw out the first pitch and the Republicans basically said, "Meh... Whatever..." and let the ball drop.

• So, going back a bit to fill in details, the Democratic House put together a proposal - the HEROES Act - over 10 weeks ago (as of August 1, 2020) to keep the PUA benefit going as well as several other vital economic factors, though the Republican Senate refused to consider it at all, saying things like the PUA encouraged people to not work. 

This is a good point about people wanting to make the higher amount of money, even by being off work, however, it misses the most important points: 

• Point One - there's a global pandemic taking lives of people of all ages, leaving a wide swath of devastation, and many, many jobs are simply gone forever, and 
• Point Two - some unemployed people are getting and spending far more money than they normally would, and even increased spending isn't stopping or really even slowing the collapse of the US economy! 

This past week, the Republicans finally grudgingly threw the ball, back to the Democrats. 

So, the Republican's refused to even negotiate for over 10 weeks, until this past week, when they threw a cobbled-together proposal - the HEALS Act - out offering a lower PUA benefit. 

This was new partisan proposal promptly dismissed by the Democratic House as being far too small to help the American people, so the Republicans pointed to the Democrats' unwillingness to accept the relatively insignificant piecemeal plan proposed by the Republicans, suggesting the Democrats are at fault. 

• However, the Republican finger pointing is pointless because they have had over 10 weeks to begin negotiations and refused to even consider how to slow or prevent the collapsing of the economy that was only just barely bolstered by PUA benefits - - up until yesterday.

Using non-partisan thinking and simple logic - the thing is, all of the 'he said, she said' and Republican finger pointing is irrelevant - it's just a distraction from the real problem or problems: 

• Mainly, the economy is collapsing in spite of massive amounts of money being dumped into it and the ending extended PUA benefits are going to bring things quickly to a head.

Bringing the Economic Stats to the Local Area

Using the Ohio numbers to bring in a more local aspect, according to Cleveland.com, Ohio's jobless numbers held steady at 423,452 for the week ending on July 25, 2020. 

• So, going back to the $789 minimum PUA unemployment benefit each person on unemployment received, that amounted to $334,103,628+ per week entering the Ohio economy. 

As of May 2020, the Ohio economy was facing a $777 million shortfall, and that was with the $334,103,628+ per week being dumped into it. In response to the shortfall, Governor DeWine began looking at major budget cuts to programs that benefit the poor and elderly and education. 

• Going back again to pandemic unemployment assistance and the economy, since that's what this essay is about, my projections for the local economy when the PUA benefit is no longer flowing into the economy, are a bit dire just like my nationwide economic predictions. 

Obviously, the extended unemployment benefits can't flow into the economy endlessly, however, the money is a lifeline - not only for the individuals receiving it but also for the economy as a whole, which affects every single person in the state and the country. 

• And, it's a lifeline that's barely keeping the sinking economy afloat, so it technically should remain in force until the pandemic is over, or until the virus is under control - however long that takes.

As someone who enjoys the subject of economics, and who took every economics course available in college while also reading economics books for fun (I still do that) - I'm first to say I have no claim to be an expert on this topic, though I do believe I have a solid understanding of how economics work - both in regard to the soft science of economic theory and the more-concrete topic of economic history.

So, what's the answer? 

I'm not proposing one, though I encourage CIVIL, non-partisan discussion about the topic in the comments here on Galionite or on the Galionite Facebook page. I have no clout in the greater scheme of things, so suggesting a solution would be a waste of energy. I'm just a writer who's managing a small blog about Galion in my spare time.

Thanks for visiting Galionite, feel free to browse around the site and stop back often to see the latest updates.