We are being unfair to President Obama.

We are being unfair to President Obama. We are also being very unfair to ourselves, unfair to our children, and unfair to our traditional institutions of public service. We are expecting our new President and our many appointed or elected Washington DC based public servants quickly to solve all our economic, education, and healthcare problems. We always seem to expect this of our Presidents---Republican or Democrat. However, in the current time of economic concerns we have taken the level of Presidential expectation and dependency to a very unhealthy level---a level that will only disappoint. I call this phenomenon the overreliance on leadership—an issue not just for the President but also for all individuals placed in leadership positions. The problem is compounded by many leaders that welcome, even seek out, the opportunity to be “the one” for whom the folks become dependent. We need to step back and recognize that the operative words for helping our President are “what do I personally need to do today to help improve our economy, to help reduce our healthcare costs, and/or to improve our education system”. We can be fair, and even instructive, to President Obama by being patient and by not demanding short-term “easy” solutions. While the President, with Congress, works to define and implement the “right things” (for which there are many conflicting and confusing options), we can be fair to the President by taking immediate personal initiatives to solve our own issues. I provide a list of actions we can take today to be fair to our governmental leaders and to be fair to ourselves:

1. Do all things for your personal health that we all know are positive---loose some weight, exercise, eat less fat, stop smoking. You know--all those things that are hard to do, but are things all healthcare professionals tell us are essential for reducing escalating healthcare costs. In the same category of known healthcare cost issues---use seat belts and do not drink and drive. If you choose to reach out to help the hurts and hopes of the less fortunate, you can start an outreach mission at your place of worship or community center to provide healthier food, advice on nutrition or exercise, and help with disease prevention.

2. Help one child to learn the excitement of reading and learning. In the process, you can help one child to understand the great benefits of deferred gratification. The child may be you own son or daughter, or a grandchild, or a stranger at any elementary school with budget cuts. Help a child to be excited about learning and you help create a productive contributor to our economy. This will also give a teacher help and encouragement—they deserve your help!

3. Spend your limited resources on needs and less on wants—and allocate some funds to savings for your future needs. Start today to save your own nest egg and be less dependent on government. Become less dependent on debt and more willing to defer purchases while you save to pay cash. If you still have a good income, use your resources to invest in those less fortunate who need a lift up. There is no better investment than lifting others up from desperate conditions—your returns will be infinite, even if it means some potential frustrations at not being thanked.

4. Help one unemployed individual to identify a pathway to work. You can help an unemployed person build a network of job contacts, you can help an unemployed person find retraining, you can invest in his or her future by gifting tuition for retraining, or you can personally tutor this person on improved skills needed in the changed workplace. Help one adult to learn to read – Birmingham has a very active Adult Literacy Program that makes it very easy to participate in this incredibly worthwhile endeavor. Be creative, kind, and generous in helping just one unemployed person find a path to work.

5. Avoid being a self-fulfilling phenomenon who whines about how bad things are at work or in the country, talking in the halls about how the economy or the boss or the employer are so bad that we will all loose our jobs. These folks (who may be hourly workers and/or executives) forget to work hard each day—too busy anticipating and talking about the bad things that may happen. Go to work each day with a great attitude and with a great work ethic---invest every hour and every day doing your job and helping your employer and your community to survive. You may face unfairness in pay or promotion---but keep on working hard. When times improve, your options will be many if you maintain a great work ethic and a positive attitude. Be helpful to others with a positive attitude rather than by dragging them down with your whining.

6. Visit and help in some small way one senior citizen confined to a home or a nursing facility. Healthcare cost fall disproportionally on the elderly. Many physician friends tell me their waiting rooms and phone messages are full of elderly patients just seeking comfort and some attention. One visit a week to an elderly person can lift a spirit and improve feelings of being loved---a less expensive but potent medicine for an elderly person facing death. If you feel like giving more time, help take an elderly person to their place of worship or bring the worship to their home—for many, this brings comfort.

7. Help in any way you can to allow one student to remain in college. Many college students are in need of aid to stay in school as their families face severe financial hardships. Your help can by a direct gift or a part-time job. By keeping one more student in college and allowing him or her to get a degree, you are creating one more employable worker and eliminating one more person seeking a job today.