Is the economy going up or down, sideways or clockwise? It's anyone's guess. But the more interesting question is do we create our "own economy" or do we let other people's ideas of how the economy is going influence us.

Listening to all the candidates running for president and seeing how quickly the Federal Reserve reacted to a perceived weakness in world markets this week, the dreaded "R" word (Recession) is uppermost on many people's minds, especially those politicians.

According to these so called experts, a recession is something to be avoided and automatically brings bad things for almost everyone. And if you follow this logic, each of us has no say whether to participate in this scenario; it's another life situation seemingly beyond our control.

But is recession necessarily a bad thing? As in every situation in life, there are winners and losers, advantages and disadvantages at every phase. When you look at what changes a "recession" may bring, some of them are not so bad at all. For instance, some people tend to have a little less work (others more), and those with less work can actually, if they let themselves, relax a little and take a breath. Maybe spend some more time with the family, investigate that new project or business they had no time for before, etc. Lower interest rates have some benefits too: reduced monthly credit card bills and in some cases mortgages.

American politicians continue to treat the electorate in an infantile manner, because they reinforce the deluded stereotype that if people can't go out and shop for more crap, the world is going to cave in! I hope that there will come a time soon when these politicos, some of whom are quite smart, will stop with this knee jerk reaction and stop playing on people's worst fears about their future. I have never heard one politician speak the truth on this matter, which might run something like this: There are natural cycles in everything, relationships, jobs and the economy. Just like anything, "prosperity" can't last forever, no matter how much you try. Rather than try and fight the natural cycles, or try and fight an inevitable change, as the Fed did by lowering interest rates again this week, let's embrace change; let's try and look for the good in it, and let's actually try and profit by it.

And remember, change need not be the enemy in our lives; fear is the real monster that needs to be constantly slayed.
Click Here for Full Post and to Leave a Comment...

It's the New Year so a little introspection is in order; new priorities need to be set. Can't help but noticing that the gym has never been more crowded; lots of faces I've never seen before. Can almost bet that in a month from now most of these people will be gone....

Last year seemed to mark some kind of a watershed, at least for me. I can't remember a time when the media has bombarded us with more negativity, more potential calamities, more inducements to be afraid (as if we didn't have enough things to worry about). At the same time, the media wants us to be more concerned with celebrities and their inevitable meltdowns. And so many people buy into this. It's amazing how people talk about celebrities on a first name basis, as if these people are really their friends! Sounds like bread and circuses to me folks; disempower enough people and they won't take charge of their lives, they will continue to buy things they don't need and complain about the things they can't afford!

In this playing field, it is more of a challenge to remain centered and to pursue our personal and professional goals, more of a challenge to be grateful for every bit of happiness every day, more of a challenge to be rich in every way.

The question I have been pondering though, is should we give any weight to those people who seem hell bent on convincing us the world is going to hell? What about those melting polar ice caps???? I've never responded well to fear, it goes against my grain. I'll never be one of those guys riding his bicycle in Central Park with a plastic helmet; factoring out all risk is not only impossible but not desirable. I don't know about those melting polar ice caps, but I do know this: Next time I get some take out from anywhere: the pizza place or the local Japanese restaurant, I can tell the guys to spare me the excess plastic, don't wrap the food as if I'm going to Mars, and don't throw in lots of stuff I don't need or want.

As our consciousness grows on a daily basis, we each have a responsibility to filter out more of the garbage thrown at us. This is no easy task, since without direct experience it is almost impossible to verify the truthfulness of much of the information out there. At the same time, we live in this world, and are sometimes seduced by the shininess of the nifty material goods now being produced. For me, the challenge is not to go back, not to romanticize the "good old days," (they weren't that great anyway), but to embrace the problems and opportunities we have RIGHT NOW. And to do it with a sincere heart and all the love we can muster. As we embark on all those new ventures in 2008, I say this: Savor Small Steps.
Click Here for Full Post and to Leave a Comment...

I want to inaugurate this blog with some general comments about how I would like to see this thing, this BLOG evolve.

Let me be perfectly clear from the outset; this is a new experience for me. I don't mean I have never read or contributed to a blog, but I can't say I spend a great deal of my day in front of a screen or under florescent lights solving other people's problems (those were my lawyer days long ago). And I should also confess that I am a little leery about the transparency of it all. Even that term is new for me, and is a little scary. You see, I am a very private person and like to do things under the radar. At the same time, I feel that I am meant to share the ideas of MONERGY with as many people as possible. I want this to be a blog where all kinds of ideas about money and life can be freely expressed and where exciting things can launch . So I make this request at the outset: Go easy and try to respect everyone's opinion and privacy.

The raison d'etre for this blog is of course my book "MONERGY-Discover the Ultimate Energy of Money." This book represents many things to me, but first and foremost it signifies freedom; freedom to use my precious time on this planet wisely and in joyous situations. Of course, freedom is a very tricky thing and means different things to different people. For me though, freedom translates to being in beautiful places with people I cherish. No longer do I have to spend 9-5 around the toxic energy of people who are not enjoying where they are at that moment. In a way, I have flipped my life from what is considered common or the norm today. I have recreated my life to spend most of my time doing the unthinkable for a male in the year 2008: simply enjoying all of the blessings that I have. And however that translates on a particular day is fine with me. And no explanations are necessary to anyone else, thank you very much.

I have to credit a very good friend of mine for part of my philosophy; she knows who she is without me mentioning any names. I will say that she and I shared some memorable experiences living and traveling in Europe when we were both 19 years old; she is still a close friend today. About 15 years ago she told me the story of one of her friends who was from Zurich. He was a guy in his late twenties who opened a very specialized car repair shop for cars like Maseratis and Ferraris. He opened the shop with a very particular goal: he would work for six months and travel for six months, and he achieved this goal because he was so skilled at the work he did. When I first heard this story, I was awestruck and a little envious: at that time I was ensconced in the very joyless practice of law in New York City. But I often thought of that Swiss guy as I was devising a process to recreate my own life.

I can only hope that MONERGY can inspire some of you to start pursuing your deepest dreams, whatever they are. And as you embark on this very exciting journey which perhaps, if I am lucky, I can share with you, I can only say: LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!
Click Here for Full Post and to Leave a Comment...