“The thing to do is keep your mind when the world around you is losing theirs.”
— Warren Buffet

If you’re prepared and have the right tools, your mind can be at ease about your financial future. You can create your own micro-economy, and a thriving economy.

History has shown it is possible not only to survive but to prosper in these times.

During the great depression, huge fortunes were made by many. The Kennedy, Rothschild and Rockefeller families all dramatically increased their fortunes throughout the depression. But it wasn’t just the rich who got richer - many ordinary citizens found a way to not only survive but thrive during a poor economy.

What was their secret?

It’s not skills, education or luck that sees the rich getting richer and leaves you in the same situation year after year. It’s mindset.

In T. Harv Eker’s N.Y. Times #1 Bestseller Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, he examines the hardwired programming around money that everyone has, and unconsciously determines your financial success. He calls this your Money Blueprint.

Your Money Blueprint is the level of success you’ve subconsciously set for yourself. And unless you change it there’s a good chance you won’t get the financial results you hope for – when economic times are not easy and the good economic times too.

“The harder you fight to hold on to specific assumptions, the more likely there’s gold in letting go of them.”
— John Seely Brown, Fast Company

The weight of emotional baggage can be overwhelming at times. I once had someone explain it to me this way: Imagine that all our negative emotions go into a bucket, and each time we hold on to a negative emotion it raises the level bit by bit. Sometimes, we may just be mildly upset and only a small drop goes in which doesn’t raise it up much. Other times we may be very upset and it starts going up to the top faster and faster.

But what happens when the bucket gets full? In my experience, even the smallest upset will allow all the old emotions to spill over the sides and it becomes very, very messy.

How do we overcome this? Letting go. If you need to have a bucket, make sure it has some holes in it and visualize the negativity escaping out the bottom when you are not looking. Let go of anger and resentment about things that are not controllable. Let go of the pain you are carrying with you in that heavy bucket from things that happened long ago. Let go of the regrets, disappointments and excuses.

Forgiveness, love, compassion, understanding — these are the tools to keep you moving forward and living the life you are in right now. When you let go, you will find your gold.

“Although you enjoy having high standards, it’s important to view yourself through loving eyes. Berating yourself only makes your spirit sink. Self-improvement comes from a positive mind-set.”
— Doreen Virtue

There are times where we may feel disconnected from ourselves or our purpose in life. Often self-sabotage is the common reason that we cut ourselves off from the flow of life. It may be that we do this unconsciously to avoid dealing with certain issues or painful situations in our life.

See yourself through loving eyes and have the courage to take the steps to grow and reconnect. There is a flow to the universe and you need to jump into it with complete faith. Nothing has ever really left you, you just need to allow yourself to see the love and strength inside you again.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
— Melodie Beattie

Wow! The power of gratitude. Here’s a fun way to remember to be grateful everyday and to unleash this power for your life: Make a nice box, decorate it as you wish, or just buy one that you really like. Write little notes about all the things you are grateful for in your life and put them in this beautiful box. Now, everyday — you pick a time that works best for you — pull them out and think about each and every one of them with love and gratitude. Really feel each one.

Once you get the hang of doing it for the things in your life that you already have, throw in some things that you want to have in your life and feel the same feelings of gratitude. See what happens.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!

“The most attractive thing you can do is smile. Like the Sun, a smile brightens the entire day. Smiles are not just seen they are felt and have a profound and immediate effect.”
— David Wolfe

Think about the power of a smile. A smile exudes confidence. Walk into a room smiling and people will see a confident person. A smile is warm, friendly, and inviting. See what happens if you smile at a stranger. You may discover it is quite contagious, and they will smile back. With a smile you can flirt, send your love, or give encouragement. There are studies that have revealed that a smile, even a forced one, will make you feel better when you are depressed.

Use this powerful tool wisely and spread the wonderful vibrations of a smile into your world.

“This is the time for new beginnings. Many of you feel the urge for change, you know something from deep within wants to come out and be heard in the world.”
— QuantumAngel.com

I have to admit that I have felt this strong urge for change from deep within. There is something inside me that wants to come out and tell the world something important. Sometimes, I doubt this feeling and even ignore it. But it is actually stronger than I first thought and it will find a way to come out.

Do you have these types of stirrings within you? Sometimes change can seem frightening, but you can find the confidence and energy within you to face your new challenges.

Take a new look at old situations, learn a new skill, be open to different approaches to life. Whatever it is, you will learn more about yourself when you allow yourself to be stretched out by these new circumstances that may come into your life.

“For the mind disturbed, the still beauty of dawn is nature’s finest balm”.
— Edwin Way Teale

With the fast pace of life, it is important to take some time to still your mind throughout the day. This can be accomplished through meditation, or simply by finding moments to be alone in quiet thought.

You may also find it helpful to take some deep breaths while you are in your quite time, closing your eyes and focusing on the inner you. Even a few seconds of stilling the mind will be beneficial to producing a sense of calm and getting a new perspective on life. Extend those moments whenever you can from seconds to minutes and you may discover that you are opening yourself up to a whole new level of being.

“And when you give, don’t do it with a heart of fear, but with a heart full of gratitude. You will be amazed at how it all works out. Open the gates of affluence in your life by giving a bit of what you have to those in need. As the great Teacher said, ‘Give and it will be given unto you.’”
— John Harricharan

The concept goes like this: Give time and you’ll get time. Give products and you’ll get products. Give love and you’ll get love. Give money and you’ll get money.

According to Joe Vitale in The Greatest Money-Making Secret in History, there are a few things to be aware of for this powerful concept to work. 1. It is giving without expecting return from that person. You will get something in return, but it most likely will come from a different source. 2. Give with your heart and with feeling. If it doesn’t feel good to give, you will only be attracting more stuff that doesn’t feel good to you. 3. Give what you want to receive.

Have fun and test it out. If you follow rule number two, even if nothing does come back, you will be left with great feelings for giving when you feel good about doing it.

“Thoughts are things; they have tremendous power. Thoughts of doubt and fear are pathways to failure. When you conquer negative attitudes of doubt and fear you conquer failure. Thoughts crystallize into habit and habit solidifies into circumstances.”
— Bryan Adams

Creative Visualization, Power of Your Subconscious Mind, The Law of Attraction, all very good books that deal with the power of your thoughts. You have thousands upon thousands of thoughts that influence your direction everyday, whether you realize it or not. Your thoughts form habits and your habits create your circumstances.

Have you ever really paid attention to the direction of your thoughts. Even as I write this message, I can note several different thoughts that pop in and out. What am I going to make for dinner? I have to remember to pay those bills. I wonder how my sister made out at the home show. Boy, is my back sore…Sometimes there are so many it is not easy to remain focused on my task at hand and process it all at the same time.

Thankfully, most of those random thoughts were fairly neutral (except for the one about my back). When we maintain a habit of positive thoughts, and focus on our goals, we will begin to see the opportunities in life unfold.

“Has your schedule been lopsided lately? Be sure to balance your time between work, play, spirtuality, exercise, and relationships.”
— Doreen Virtue, Ph.D., Healing with the Angels

I understand that you are busy. We all have so many demands for our time, so many responsibilities. However, when our schedules become overwhelming and out of balance, our energy levels drop. We then feel like we are running around always trying to catch up on a day that is slipping through our fingers.

Our spirit is shouting out for rest to restore and renew our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives. Our bodies need rest to function properly. Our minds need rest to perform at peak efficiency. We need rest to enjoy our relationships.

Check your pattern of living right now. Be sure to add in regular intervals of meditation, exercise, and play — yes play — into your days. This fine balance of work, live, play will help you grow and feel the joy of life.

What creative ideas can you come up with to renew yourself? Here are a few ideas to get you started.  However, I encourage you to create your own list based on your passions and hobbies:

•  Schedule a massage with a professional massage therapist
•  Have a spiritual growth weekend.  Retreat into nature.  Plan some alone time.
•  Go for a drive with no particular destination in mind.  Explore the countryside, slow down and observe what you see.
•  Treat yourself to a night in a hotel or bed and breakfast.
•  Visit a museum or a zoo.
•  Take an afternoon off and go to the movies—maybe even a kid’s movie!
•  Go to a yard sale or auction.
•  Go rollerskating or rollerblading with a friend!
•  Enjoy a photographic retreat.  Take your camera into nature and shoot away.
•  Watch cartoons with a child. 
•  Visit a farmer’s market and shop for fresh produce.
•  Drop by a health food store and walk the aisles.
•  Go dancing.
•  Take a horseback ride.