Posts Tagged ‘financial crisis’

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 »

The current financial crises is forcing many people to become more aware financially than ever before. Financial vagueness and poor financial management skills have caused serious problems on various levels and many are moving toward greater financial responsibility in order to recover–or survive–financially.

Difficult times such as we are in now, act as the catalyst for deep introspection and an examination of values. In order to move into financial stability, what matters has to be defined individually and used as a basis for future behaviors.

Clearly the uber-focus on money and it’s potential as a stimulus for personal happiness and stability has proven to be inadequate to keep society glued together. Money is necessary for our economic survival, but when money becomes the primary focus and goal of our lives, something is lost.

When asked about the financial crisis during a recent airing of Bill Moyers Journal on PBS, the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary said, “It’s a crisis of value. We have misplaced, in deep ways, the ruler that we use to measure what matters most in life. And it has become completely exhausted by monetary value.” Read the rest of this entry »

Life is changing for all of us whether we like it or not. Our political and financial systems, the weather, international relations, how we interact with each other, the workplace, our sources of energy, and other aspects of our lives and our environment are going through major alterations.

You have two choices — you can either stay in denial and continue to do whatever you’ve been doing or you can accept the fact that the world as you know it, on many levels, is going to look very different a few years from now and be open to the opportunities that times of change provide..

If you choose to continue to do what you’ve been doing, there is a chance that you’re going to see a drop in your income and a rise in your struggle level. On the other hand, if you’re willing to accept and adapt to the new reality, you can thrive and prosper in peace and joy.

In order to thrive, you will need to be flexible and develop new behavior patterns while letting go of limiting beliefs that keep you stuck in the past. You will also need to let go of emotional habits that allowe you to stay in fear, sorrow, anger, and resentment. Read the rest of this entry »

How are you feeling about your finances? A lot of people I talk to tell me that they are experiencing anything from mild anxiety to downright fear because the future is so uncertain.

And the other feeling I’ve been tapping into is sorrow, or sadness, because of what has been lost, and for oh so many other reasons. (Think polar bears.)

You may already know that I believe our feelings are the creative force behind our life stories. People often think their life stories are causing their feelings when, if fact, it’s the feelings that create the stories.

Which is the good news. Because if you don’t like the way your life is going, by releasing habitual feelings that you have been carrying for years and installing new emotional responses, you can change the outcome of your life stories.

And releasing emotions gets easier and easier as people learn new techniques such as BSFF, the Power Word technique, EFT, and many forms of energy healing that are becoming more popular by the day.

The Tipping Point
The world situation reflects the accumulation of the feelings of earth’s inhabitants. Our combined fear, sorrow, anger, shame, alientation and other feelings are all being acted out through the current economic crisis and growing political unrest.

Because of the intensity of the situation, energy runs high, providing the opportunity for a major shift. If just a small portion of the people release their fear, sorrow, anger, shame, and alienation and allow feelings of authentic inner peace to emerge, the shift can happen.

This is using the Law of Attraction on a global scale.

You can join us on April 2 (or by recording) and take a giant step towards releasing the feelings defining your financial situation — and the world crisis — that are interfering with personal and global peace and prosperity.

Read more about how you can participate at http://ProsperityPlace.com/teleclass/mfeel.html 

In my book, Build Your Money Muscles, I talk about Financial Vagueness Syndrome (FVS) as a key stumbling block to financial comfort. If you don’t know what is going on with your money, it’s difficult to plan, strategize, and make rational financial decisions.

If you have been listening to the gloomy financial news, then you probably know that one of the main reasons the system is falling apart is that no one really understood the sophisticated financial instruments such as mortgage back securities and credit default swaps that were being traded in the markets.

Recently we learned that when billions of dollars of TARP funds were distributed, no one kept track of where the money went and what it was used for.

On top of that, no one was watching the store. When the SEC was warned about Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, for example, the warnings were ignored. No one really wanted to know what was going on.

You could easily conclude that Financial Vagueness Syndrome played a significant role in the global financial crisis. Has it played a role in yours?  Read the rest of this entry »

Humans have amazing creative powers. Look at what has recently been created in the financial world. An elite group of colluding individuals with a similar goal–to make as much money as possible–have managed to fashion a worldwide economic crisis.

The crisis wasn’t the work of some supernatural force or power. Humans did it.

Now is the time for “ordinary” folks like you and me to form our own cartel that allows us to prosper while respecting the rights of others as we work towards a goal for the common good. We have the same creative powers within us as the greedy wall-streeters, but we can decide to work together so that all can prosper.

How to do this? First, think globally, act locally. Band together with others in your community to form co-ops, develop community gardens, offer support to small businesses, and build outreach programs. You don’t need money to do this, just human energy.

Reach out to others across the world to form support groups, partnerships, and joint ventures. When you connect to others your individual power is magnified. Recently, on one of the weekly teleclasses for the Build Your Money Muscles program, participants inspired each other to action by sharing information and encouragement. Feeling connected stimulates positive action for change.

Spend quiet time with yourself so you can connect to your own inner direction and move beyond the fear that seems to be in the air right now. Deep within you lies strength and power that you can use to create a better life for yourself and those around you. 

Arm yourself with knowledge so you can make informed choices. Spend time each day learning about the world of finance and developing practical financial skills so you can make wise financial decisions and not be swayed by advertising messages or slick sales presentations.

On last Friday’s BlogTalkRadio show (10/25), Personal Power expert Jim Bouchard talked with me about how you can develop the skills you need to develop the ability to act effectively in all situations and how this can affect your prosperity. You can listen online or download. The program is now available as an I-Tunes Podcast–just search for Joan Sotkin in I-Tunes.

On the show, Jim and I also coached one of the participants in the Build Your Money Muscles for Financial Strength & Security program about working through shame and overcoming resistance. I hope you’ll listen and learn from Jim’s wisdom. www.BlogTalkRadio.com/JoanSotkin

The storm continues to batter the world financial systems, causing havoc for many. But you, as an individual, have significant control over your own destiny, even in these tough times.

First of all, you have choices. You can choose to wait until you get clobbered or take steps to behave differently. Instead of spending freely, this is the time to be frugal and actually save something, putting off the “I want” purchases until you have a better idea what’s happening in your life. Cash is king.

You can also choose to maintain a positive frame of mind. The situation that exists is not good or bad, it just is. The situation is neutral. You bring to the situation the emotions that determine whether it is good or bad for you.

We live in a dualistic world and for every up there’s a down, for every positive there’s a negative. Within each situation you can find light and dark. You can choose what you want to see. And those who can find the good, the light, and the positive can grow and flourish. Those who focus on the dark, the bad, and the negative will suffer in discomfort.

Facing the reality of what is going on allows you to examine alternatives and develop a plan of action. If you hide your head in the sand and give in to paralysis, you can’t adjust to these changing times.

We are going through a major paradigm shift and this level of change is always uncomfortable for those going through it. If you can look towards a positive future, pay attention to what’s happening for you in the moment, and do whatever you can to deal with the stress, you will survive and can potentially be one of the people who actually benefit, in the long run, from what is going on.

Don’t hide. Reach out to others and be authentic about what is going on for you. Invite a group of people to come together to discuss how they are dealing with the situation and to find solutions. There is strength in numbers. You can find power in community.

On Friday’s BlogTalkRadio.com program at noon EST, I’ll be interviewing Jim Bouchard, author of the Dynamic Components of Personal Power. Our topic: The Relationship between Personal Power and Prosperity. I hope you’ll call in or listen to the recording. http://BlogTalkRadio.com/JoanSotkin

It sure does look like the financial world is falling apart. Major financial institutions are going bankrupt, smaller banks are in danger of closing, government bailouts are taking place, and the words “recession” and “depression” on everyone’s lips.

The immediate threat seems to be a serious tightening of credit, which would affect consumer spending. This in turn would hurt the US economy. At the same time, the problems in the US are affecting economies around the world.

So what’s the good news? This financial crisis has been a long time in coming as regulations were eliminated or not enforced, and greed took over. Those out for the big bucks made risky investments, and the more they got away with, the more risk they took. Then it all started to collapse as securities backed by subprime mortgages went bad.

Here’s the good news: I see the current situation as a major correction as the greed and corruption come to the surface, which will allow the system can start healing itself. The dysfunction goes very deep, so it could be a lengthy healing, but it will heal. And the system that emerges will be stronger–until greed and corruption take over once again. But that will be years in the future.

Should you be afraid? No. And you can minimize your fear if take steps to protect yourself.

• Do everything you can to reduce your debt and cut down on spending.
• Downsize if you have to in order to feel more secure.
• If you can’t stop spending or you keep living on the edge, find out why you hold on to these habits.
• Think through all of your purchases and ask, “Do I really need this?”
• Keep making plans for a positive future and developing strategies for income building.

We are in the down side of a cycle, that WILL turn around in time. The people at the top don’t want the whole system to collapse and will do what they can to save it. It’s going to take a while, because the problem is global. This is a good time to find your place of peace in the midst of the chaos.

In the meantime, this is an opportunity for you to clean up your money mess and prepare for prosperity.

The first month of the six-month Build Your Money Muscles for Financial Strength & Security program has an audio, Overcoming Financial Fear, that can help you get yourself out of fear and into positive action.