Posts Tagged ‘economic downturn’

• Are you scared because of your financial situation?
• Is your job or business income threatened by current financial conditions?
• Do you wonder what has happened to the American dream?
• Would you like to move beyond your fear and experience financial peace of mind?

Join me on Auguest 24th for a new teleclass where you can learn the skills you need to thrive and prosper in these tough economic times.

Living Fear Free in the New Economy
A 90-Minute Teleclass with Joan Sotkin
August 24 – Noon Pacific, 3 PM Eastern

Listen on the phone, on the Web or download the recording. A transcript will be available along with other goodies.

Join me for this interactive teleclass and learn:

• The simple techniques to move through your fear and emerge in a solid financial position
• How to make fear a creative rather than destructive force so you can move on with your life
• The main steps you need to take to live fear free in the new economy
• How to discover marketable talents you have that you never realized could support you
• Techniques for activating your inner power so you build a realistic and secure future

If you are ready for a stress-free, fear-free life, read more about this teleclass at http://LiveFearFreeNow.com

Recently someone asked me why I didn’t include fear in my book Build Your Money Muscles as one of the basic emotions that people act out through their money. I explained that fear is the cover-up emotion, the emotion that people default to when they are unsure of themselves and their future.

Fear is often used as an excuse for not moving forward. Yet those who are willing to work through their fear and risk what might seem like failure are the people who are most successful.

Fear in the Current Economy

There’s no doubt about the fact that we are living in uncertain times. The recession, unemployment, foreclosures,
lack of available credit, and debt problems in Europe all add to an environment of uncertainty.

Even though large companies are earning healthy profits, the uncertainty is keeping them from adding jobs or making big investments. Instead of hiring people, companies are buying machines that allow them to replace people.

The news is filled with fear-producing stories of people experiencing financial difficulties and dire predictions for our economic future. However, if you decide to live without fear, you can.

Is this really possible with so much fear in the air? Absolutely.

The Choice Is Yours

Fear is never a requirement. It is an option. You get to choose whether to live in fear or in peace.

This period in our history provides a great opportunity for you to make the choice between fear or peace. The fact is that fear is never a solution to any problem, but rather a mechanism for avoiding action.

I don’t believe that you can just wish or tap away fear. I think that you have to make specific changes in your habitual thoughts, beliefs, emotional responses, and behaviors in order to develop confidence in your ability to survive and thrive no matter what’s going on in the world.

Yes, economic times have changed, and few people can continue to behave the way they did a few years ago and remain financially healthy. Fortunately,a growing number of people are choosing to save instead of spending freely and are beginning to see the value of developing practical financial habits.

Awakening Your Inner Voice

Now more than ever, getting in touch with the part of you that can see (or sense) the bigger picture is important. That inner voice is part of your human equipment and, if you can hear it, can lead you to your true life’s purpose and a way of life that supports your true needs (not those stimulated for you by endless advertisements).

The problem is that fear muffles the sound of the inner voice, often in many subtle ways.

A few years ago, I invested a lot of time, money, and energy into a project that I thought would be profitable. Although I was encouraged by knowledgeable advisors to move forward with the project, and although I was passionate about the subject matter, I have to admit that I was motivated by my fear of my economic future. I thought the project could offer me a level of security I didn’t already have.

Instead of making a lot of money, I lost a lot. As I was putting the project together, there was a nagging, quiet voice that questioned what I was doing, but the voice was overridden by my desire to secure my future in order to allay my fears.

In other words, I defaulted to fear and lost much more than I could have imagined. If someone had said that I was motivated by fear, I would have denied it. Only now, as I look back, can I see it — and avoid the trap in the future. As I said, fear works in subtle ways.

I’ve lived long enough to know that no matter how much trouble I might get myself in to, I can get myself out, which serves to overcome fear. I feel blessed that I’ve reached a point of inner peace and would like to share some of the techniques I used to get here.

So I’m going to hold a teleclass on August 24th called Live Fear Free in the New Economy.

This teleclass will

• Help you make fear a creative rather than destructive force
• Discover marketable talents you have that you never realized can support you
• Teach you techniques for activating your inner resources
• Lead you through your fear into a more peaceful place

For more information about this almost-free teleclass, visit http://LiveFearFreeNow.com

Recently a woman was recounting her experience of going from having very little to being able to buy a house, something she thought would be impossible. “Before everything turned around,” she said, “my whole life fell apart and I thought I’d never recover.”

What she didn’t understand at the time was the life-falling-apart experience was an essential element on her path to prosperity. People don’t realize that in order to alter their lives significantly, there is often a period where the old crumbles in order to make way for the new.

That’s what’s happening in the world right now. We are going through a major transition that is causing lots of chaos as the old is replaced by a new paradigm.

You can feel and experience the chaos in our politics, finances, education system, and other areas of our lives as the entrenched economic and financial systems are falling apart.

For many, these changes are confusing and frightening as institutions and systems that gave an apparent sense of certainty are falling apart. In many cases they are not being replaced by anything that guarantees certainty. Manufacturing jobs, pensions, health insurance, and even city services such as police protection, can no longer be taken for granted.

As the chaos intensifies, our only choice is to learn how to deal with what’s happening in the moment and to work together to get through difficult times.

Here are five suggestions for dealing with the chaos of change.

1. Get out of the child position.
It’s a time to grow up and stop waiting for those in apparent power to provide you with solutions. Facing reality and taking responsibility for your own outcomes is a way through the darkness.

2. Stay focused in the moment
The future is entirely unknown. Whatever you are afraid of is a fairy tale that you are making up. Why not imagine a positive future and stay focused in the moment. Right now, do you have enough to eat, a place to stay, and people to support you? If any of those are missing, what can you do to improve your situation.

3. Meditate to find the answers inside of yourself
Quite time with yourself allows you to connect to the universal consciousness and your true creative powers. Fear and complaining prevent you from doing this. Even if you only sit quietly for a few minutes each day with your eyes closed, breathing deeply, you will begin to train yourself to quiet down. Mediation instructions are at http://ProsperityPlace.com/articles/gethigh.html

4. Pay attention to your numbers.
During tough financial times people tend to stop taking care of their money because looking at the numbers brings up all sorts of uncomfortable emotions. Yet during tough times, it’s especially important to keep track of everything and make sound financial decisions, even if it seems that there isn’t enough to work with. Basic money management instructions are available in Build Your Money Muscles. http://ProsperityPlace.com/bymm

5. Join with others to find solutions
The days of “me first” are coming to an end as we learn to develop systems that support “we” rather than “me.” Rugged individualism may have worked in the past, but the new paradigm requires cooperation and teamwork. You may need to develop communication skills and join groups in order to learn the new foundation for thriving.

Ongoing, affordable help is available for those who wish to rise above what looks like a bad economic environment and find ways to prosper. Read about the Peace of Mind & Prosperity Program.

Because of what is going on in the world, last week I did a teleclass with my Peace of Mind & Prosperity group on adapting to change. Our society is going through major shifts and people who are adept at changing are the ones who will thrive and prosper.

But for most people, any kind of change threatens their concept of who they are and their place in the world. Resistance to change is universal because of fear of the unknown and the unintended consequences of change.

If you want to thrive and prosper, adapting to change is a skill you will need to develop. Not changing means you’re going to stay stuck where you are and the positive momentum of the new economy will pass you by.

Here are some suggestions for learning how to make change a positive force in your life. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s an incredible disconnect between the movement of the stock market and the economic reality for much of the US population.

As I’m writing this, the headline on CNBC.com, just above the market chart, is “Stocks Gain 4% for Week Amid Earnings Optimism.” No doubt about it, the market has been going up, enabling those who are supposedly in the know to assure us that we are on the way to recovery.

At the same time, stories are dribbling out about the economic pressures faced by many people:

• There are over 1 million healthcare-related bankruptcies per year
• Over 47,000 people die each year in the US because they can’t afford health care
• 6.3 people are looking for every available job
• High level jobs are going unfilled because workers lack the necessary skills
• Foreclosure rates continue to rise in many areas
• Unregulated financial products are still in the pipeline
• States are cutting back on funding for education, safety, and other necessary services.

Read the rest of this entry »

One word that can sum up the current state of world affairs is uncertainty. No one really knows what’s going on and all of the old predictive models aren’t working.

For example, this week, an AP article mentioned that economists had expected a cutback in consumer debt by about $4 billion in July. Instead, there was a $21.6 billion drop. Totally unexpected. Good for consumers, bad for the economy which depends on spending.

People seem to be waiting and hoping that the economy will get back to “normal.”  Most people mean get back to what it was, and that just isn’t going to happen. Our economy depends on consumer spending and consumers are tapped out.

Also, because growth of wages leads to increased spending, that push for the economy has leveled off. With all of the job cuts and people finally learning to spend less and save more or pay down debt, no one knows for sure what will happen to our economy. Uncertainty prevails. If anyone predicts the future with certainty, don’t believe them. Read the rest of this entry »