Here is some positive and prescriptive ideas for all of us tired of hearing how bad the economy is, how bad the world is. Here are some postive action items that can improve your frame of mind. It is a longer post, and well worth the time reading.

Success Tips Newsletter

In this issue: The dirty little secret of a lousy economy
By Eric Albertson, Succeeding In Business

Word count: 808  Time to read: 2-3 minutes

The dirty little secret
Money is everywhere. Sales are happening. People are meeting their housing costs, keeping up with their bills, and sales people are getting their promotions.

My personal experience
I have never had a better December and January in my entire life. Most of my longstanding consulting clients can say the same thing.

A typical example: “Fourth quarter, 2007, we got one new client; fourth quarter, 2008, we got 15 new clients, and the trend looks like it will easily continue into 2009,” says Amy Pate, president of Bonzi Development Group (www.bonzicentral.com).

More
It may surprise you to hear that only 3.8 percent of college graduates are un-employed, according to an article in a recent Newsweek. Most of the unemployment is among those without sufficient education.

Earl Nightingale said it
Earl Nightingale, the late motivational speaker, said, “You move in the direction of your currently dominant thought.”

Take an inventory
Are you watching lots of TV? Listening to “poor me” radio? Reading newspaper articles about the three percent to 10 percent of the population that is struggling? Are you looking to get depressed? If that is what you’re doing, you shouldn’t be too surprised that you’re getting depressed.

Fear
False Evidence Appearing Real. The reality, by any objective measure, is that for the vast majority of people, things are still very, very good. Scrutinize and inspect evidence that tempts you to draw a negative conclusion or have a negative thought.

Where are you focused?
I am focused on what works: my goals, my customers, the new clients I want. I work hard, I keep my word, I set and meet deadlines, and I deliver results.

But you don’t understand
Lots of bad things happen out there. I have had way more than my share. It’s not what happens to you that really counts. It’s what you do about it that tells the story, and constitutes your life. You always have a choice, and you can always take action. And no, things will not always work out just the way you want them to.

Focus is the key
It starts slowly. Over time it builds. Soon, you are miles away from where you started, and you can hardly remember how it used to be. Focus on what you want in this life, and stop paying attention to what you don’t want.

Consider doing these:

Quit

• Hanging around downer people.
• Engaging in doom’n’ gloom conversations.
• Watching the news.
• Reading the gloomy parts of the newspaper.
• Complaining.
• Whining.
• Doing stupid things, when you know in advance that they’re probably not going to end well. You’re smarter than that.
• Caring about celebrities, scam artist Wall Street types, and other boneheads in our world.
• Doing harmful things to your body, like eating and drinking too dang much.

Start

• Looking at your goals, daily.
• Taking more action.
• Speaking positively (you don’t have to be ridiculously and unrealistically optimistic).
• Hanging with successful people.
• Spending time with people who will hold you accountable.
• Reading my books or anything that builds skill and attitude.
• Sleeping at least eight hours a night.
• Cutting the sugar.
• Letting those you love know it in no uncertain terms.
• Doing the work and making the money.
• Being successful just for the next hour, day, week, month, year. And then for the rest of your life.

Does it work?
My consulting business is booming. I have people waiting for me when I have a slot open. I recently lost a client and was able to fill the slot with another client within 24 hours. Did this success happen overnight? Of course not. I work at it every day. Does it work? I have a better life and a better income every year, no matter what the economy is doing, because I always focus on what I want, and not on what I fear.

Where there is a will, there is a way
You always have a choice. If your focus is in the toilet, there’s only one person to blame, and you can find that person in the mirror.

The road
The road to the life you want starts when you finish this newsletter. You will have to make a choice about what you put into your brain, every hour, from now on. As the old saying goes, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Your brain and your focus are your willing servants. What will you have them do?

A toast

To the focus of kings, over the focus of peasants,

PS: Books that will help:
Closing More Sales by Asking Better Questions
How to Open Doors with a Brilliant Elevator Speech – 2nd Edition
Overcoming the Fear of Cold Calling

 “Reprinted with permission from Eric Albertson’s succeedinginbusiness.com. Newsletter (Copyright, 1998-2008, Eric Albertson,  SucceedingInBusiness.com.)” 

FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real