The Positive Accountant - Vol 2 Ed 37
The media continue to talk us down.
Further and further down. It seems that you can't open a news channel without reading about Boris saying the economy has 'a long way to go', or the Chancellor telling us that 'hard times are here'
Realism is all well and good, but I go back to the core reason why I started writing these 'publications'. If everyone believes we are on the way to hell in a handcart, then nobody is going to invest, nobody is going to spend their money, the economy will fall off the nearest and highest cliff.
In short we may as well all go home. Except there's no point doing that as home will already have been repossessed.
What I'm seeing - at pretty close to grass roots level - are several industries really struggling across the board. eg hospitality.
But to counter that, there are some industries that are doing really quite well (eg construction)
And there are some where the industry itself has stagnated, some people are doing alright but others might be struggling.
There will always be winners and losers in all of those industry sectors - just in a downturn there will be more of the latter. What the reader of this needs to do is to make sure you are a winner - which in my opinion starts with a positive mindset.
So read the news, by all means. Just don't get beaten down by it.
What are my positives today ?
1. Sylvia has sent some photos !
Last night I told the story of Sylvia and the lengths she had gone to to present me with clean accounting records.
Photos are below - for which many thanks. The windbreaks have been employed to stop the wind creating further havoc !
2. It wasn't a video call to Andrew
This afternoon I was talking to Andrew, someone I thought I knew pretty well. What you need to know about Andrew is that he is always professional, serious, and immaculately turned out.
Partway through the call he announced that it was so hot he was sitting at his desk wearing only boxer shorts. Which made me extremely glad it wasn't a video call. And I'm sure his staff were glad that he is still working from home.
3. Thousands fewer have died from Coronavirus than first reported
A little while ago I commented that if you make decisions based on dodgy numbers you get - at best - strange results. That comment was based on a career dealing with numbers.
Today the four UK Governments have changed how they count Coronavirus deaths and the UK total has decreased by over 5,000. Apparently the official definition is now that if you have had a positive test and die within 28 days of the test it is a Coronavirus death.
I'm not making a political point - but just point out to change the rules partway through a pandemic is odd. Very odd.
Stay safe, stay positive
I'm told the smell of wet plaster will speed up how quickly I'll deal with these papers. Which must be the most extreme way of reducing fees I've ever come across