It's very easy to bemoan all the things we don't have right now, but how many of us are able to creatively use everything that is right around us, and to do it with good humor?

It's a real skill to be able to recognize all the good fortune and opportunities right before our eyes, and then to be able to do something with it. It takes presence, which is to say it's a skill that is enhanced by not being constantly distracted. Since so many of us are constantly moving(where I am not so sure), it's become a huge challenge to even be still enough to see and really appreciate what we have now, let alone to maximize those opportunities.

But I guarantee each of you that if you can slow down long enough to really, really see what is right in front of you, the key to your own financial riches and freedom is right here, right now. After you have slowed down, you might want to take a few steps back to observe what's there.

For example, if you are witnessing the decline of the stock market right in front of your eyes, and if you have traditionally been a stock investor, take a break from insisting that your financial future is inextricably linked to continuing the same pattern. Stop for a few minutes, think and open your mind: You may sense a volatile situation, and you may sense that change is in the wind. Good, you are getting close to seeing what is right before your eyes. Now take a small leap and look around at the economy in which you are living, and try and appreciate the world economy as well. Contrary to some of the messages you are being barraged with by the media, our economy is not tanking, it is not sinking. Is it changing? Absolutely.

Don't forget the following fun fact, which I think is unassailably true. Wherever living people exist in large numbers(such as the United States), they will have not just basic needs to be met (like food, shelter, work, medical care), but they will also have many other opportunities to spend money for discretionary items. What I am trying to point out to you is that in every environment, and with every change, there are always opportunities to make money right now.

Back to our stock market example: if you are dissatisfied with the way things are going, explore your options: It doesn't take a genius to realize that energy is a big issue now and for some years to come. It should also be obvious that many people are slow to change their habits (in other words, addictions of all kinds die hard and slow). Use that knowledge right now to counter the beating you are taking in stocks-invest in something that everyone still needs (I hope you know what I mean).

Don't like the low value of the dollar when it's drummed into your head on the nightly news? Try and benefit by getting involved in an export based industry; if you are in a slowing real estate region, try and appeal to foreigners who now view the US as a bargain basement.

So I guess what I am saying is: wherever you are, whatever you do, no matter what they tell you on the evening news, there are always opportunities. Observe carefully what's around, make your move, and enjoy the results fully.
Click Here for Full Post and to Leave a Comment...

We're going to talk about one of the most difficult things that a human can learn to do - and it is so essential to both our financial and personal well being - that I can't stress it enough.

It's all about learning to let go - after we've gotten exactly what we want. Not sure if this qualifies as good news or bad, but it is definitely news. That's because almost none of us is raised with this information/awareness; quite the contrary in fact.

Traditional conditioning may encompass the pursuit of what we want(usually in a convoluted way), but it almost never considers what to do when we have obtained those goals. And by the way, I am not suggesting that we have to let go of what we have achieved immediately after we get it - that would be some cruel joke wouldn't it?

What I am saying is that at some point after we obtain what or who we want in our lives, there may come a time when it is appropriate to let go; and it is good to be attuned to this. In Monergy, I have a chapter that addresses this issue on the financial realm and I call it "Watching for Signs/Cycling Out". The goal of that chapter is to illustrate how people often hang on to good financial opportunities or investments too long, because they are greedy or want to suck every last dollar out of something; as a result they can get clobbered when a market turns - and free markets (whether stocks or real estate) can turn quickly these days and be very cruel.

So when you look at all the people who hang on to something or somebody way after the expiration date has arrived (think we have all been there!); just take a moment to appreciate the disastrous results that follow. Of course, "hanging on" rather than "letting go" is reinforced by just about everything in society. And it is all based upon fear - fear that you can never replace that opportunity, fear that you will never be with such a great person again.

What often accompanies the mentality of "holding on" is an almost complete lack of gratitude. How many people do you know who are grateful for the great opportunities that have come there way, knowing that everything has a cycle of beginning, middle and end? You can become one of those grateful people by simply giving constant thanks for all the wonderful people and things in your life - and by learning to let go graciously when the time is right.

All the best boys and girls.
Click Here for Full Post and to Leave a Comment...