What's Really Happening Out There?
 I wish I could tell you definitively, but the information is
changing by the hour. We're stuck in a
cycle of petty partisan bickering and finger pointing that is masking the truth
about current economic conditions and the progress regarding any type of
solution.
As of Wednesday morning, the first of October here is what
appears to be going on:
The Senate is preparing to vote on its plan.
Both the Senate and House plans include massive amounts of
spending that has nothing to directly with aid to the failing financial
institutions; whose collapse, we were told, was the immediate and pressing
danger.
Whether it was regulation, lack of regulation or just plain
greed and politics that caused this mess; the wolves who created this mess are
now not only in the henhouse, they ate the farmer and they're trying to take
over the whole farm.
Our representatives are locked in a continuing cycle of
political posturing, name-calling and hair pulling reminiscent of a girl fight
among second grade school kids.
So what are we supposed to do? Most of these machinations
are out of our hands at this point. Here's what you can do:
1) Protect your cash. The proverbial mattress looks like a
better bet than Wachovia at this point!
2) Stop watching the news; at least 24 hours a day. This
situation is changing way too fast and the parties involved are only giving us
half-truths. The New York Times reports that "The senators issued no details of
their proposal and said none would be available until Wednesday." They're
afraid to tell one another about their plans for fear of conflict and reprisal;
they ain't telling us anything!
3) Call or email your reps; they are paying attention. The
scary part is that in a democratic republic, these guys are not really supposed
to be bending with the winds of real-time polling; they're actually supposed to
do the work we sent them to Washington to do. The fact is that they are
supposed to know a little more than the average Joe.
4) Vote: nationally and locally. Your vote does count; I'm
not going to argue the point. (If you want a more expressive rant on this subject check out the new PowerBLOG post.)
Most of all, you can continue to do the one thing that you
always have control over. You can focus on making yourself more powerful and
more valuable to those around you. You can commit yourself to a focused period
of personal development that will give you options in times of hardship.
Quick summary for those of you who may be new to the Dynamic Components of Personal Power:
Power is your ability or capacity to act or perform
effectively. The sources of human power and energy are body, mind and spirit.
You need to nourish these areas of human life to have the energy to cultivate
and develop power through motivation and discipline over time. You then
effectively apply the power you generate with balance, focus and timing.
Power, your ability to act effectively, is the essential
ingredient in creating your personal vision of success and happiness. The
specific definition of success is individual, but to feel successful you need
to have what you determine is enough in three key areas of life: material,
emotional and spiritual. For a complete expansion on the Dynamic Components be sure to get the book.
The reason I chose the word "dynamic" for my work is that
the state of balance between each of these components is constantly changing.
There are times you need to focus more intently on material needs, but it's
extremely important that you support the components of your emotional and
spiritual components life as well. This attention to balance keeps you moving
forward in difficult times and gives you the courage and faith to face current
and future challenges and obstacles.
There are conditions and circumstances beyond our control.
One of the "Top 5 Lies About Power" is that "power is control." It's not. You
certainly need power to effectively establish control where you can, but even
in times when control is a scarce commodity you can develop power in order to
respond more effectively as conditions warrant and opportunities return.
While the geniuses in Washington try to work out the
solutions to this problem on a global scale, you can take steps as an
individual to increase your power and value in the world.
1) Develop new skills: Be sure that you're constantly
improving your talents and abilities and avoid becoming a one-trick pony. If
your job or income is impacted by this financial crunch; you'll be prepared to
adapt and overcome.
2) Start a business: I'm serious! There are always
opportunities; millionaires were born during the Great Depression. Find a
market need and launch your empire from your kitchen table. Dave Ramsey
launched his personal financial advising empire from his actual kitchen table
after a bankruptcy. The internet is opening new opportunities to launch businesses on a shoestring! (Click here to register for Jim's PowerTOOLS seminar and learn how to market an internet business on any budget...even ZERO!)
3) Focus on what makes you valuable: If economic conditions
worsen, there will be many people wringing hands and casting blame. Right now
you can show your employer that you're part of essential personnel. The squeaky
wheels might sometimes get the grease, but when there's no grease the squeaky
wheels are usually found on the side of the road.
Dynamic Components is not a "just think positive and
everything will turn out OK" philosophy. You've got to take action to make
things happen. You're always moving forward when you engage in the process of
constant personal development.
Challenges are the fuel that drives motivated
people to new levels of success. |
Power Moment
The Good News!
By Jim Bouchard
There is good news and it's all around us. No matter what
challenges you face there is always good news and it is absolutely true that
every cloud has a silver lining; provided you have the power to see it!
 Do you remember hunkering under your covers as a kid with a
dim little flashlight to read a book? Just like that little flashlight, there's
a technique to help you find the good news in the dark. This technique is:
GRATITUDE.
I'm not talking about a trite "attitude of gratitude"
platitude. It's too easy to tell people that the world is full of abundance and
that everything is possible and attainable through positive thought and
gratitude. As a teacher it would be easy to fall back on that line of thinking,
because then if you don't achieve what you feel you should I can tell you that
you simply didn't believe hard enough, or there must have been some negative
energy in your thoughts.
Bullshit. Sometimes you do the best you can and things still
turn out crappy. Sometimes assholes and jerks with negative attitudes seem to
get everything they want.
I'm talking about the practical application of gratitude.
Like any other discipline, the cultivation and application of gratitude
requires constant practice. Frankly it's hard work, especially when you're in
the middle of challenges and adversity.
The fact is that you need resources to develop power and
achieve success. Another fact is that no matter where you're going, your next
step is dependent on the resources you have access to in this present moment,
no matter how scarce these resources might be.
Think big! Dream even bigger! As you're dreaming and
thinking just realize that your next step may have to be to develop additional
resources to make your dreams come true. To take that next step you've first
got to take inventory of what resources you have in the here and now.
Gratitude practice is the process of taking that inventory.
You always have a choice. You can focus on what you don't
have right here and right now; that will lead you to a mindset of scarcity and
weakness. Weakness is not motivating, it's debilitating.
Focus on what you do have in the present moment. Even
limited, your present resources of money, knowledge, goodwill are the resources
you can access to increase your power. Your talents and abilities are
guaranteed resources that nobody can ever take away from you. To become
effective and to apply these resources you've got to operate from the
perspective of abundance. To recognize abundance you've got to express
gratitude for whatever you DO have right here, and right now!
Create a simple Gratitude Discipline; something you can do
each morning. It may be a prayer of thanksgiving or simply a moment of
reflection. The first step in any journey is to take an inventory and make sure
you have the supplies you need to complete the trip. Your Gratitude Discipline
is your daily inventory of the material, emotional and spiritual supplies you
need to create your vision of success and happiness.
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| Power Motivator!
"If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it!"
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