Recession: A Different Perspective

I'm one of those (few) people who haven't "bought in" to the recession. I also don't watch the doom-and-gloom mainstream news channels either. And if gas prices go up, I don't start commiserating on how bad things are and how much worse they might get. 

Not to say any of that is necessarily "bad".... It's just that I try to be very conscious about what comes in to the gray matter between my ears and what goes out of it through my thoughts and words.

(I admit... I have been accused of living in "Becky World".... but that's okay. It's a nice place to live!)

Actually, every body lives in their own special "world." Five people could witness and event and you'll get five different versions of it. That's because we all see things from our own perspective, which is made up of everything we've experienced, hoped, and dreamed, as well as our challenges, doubts, and fears.

Perspective isn't written in stone. It's a fluid thing. We're always learning and growing, trying on new ideas, discarding old ones that no longer serve us.

At least, I am.  And that's the sort of openness I strive to foster in my coaching clients as well.

So, back to recession....

I recently read an article that looked at the whole concept in a radically different light. Here are a few key points mixed in with my 2 cents....

For a little history.... the past 120 years have been dominated by the Industrial Economy. The 'reader's digest' explanation of this type of economy, according to Davd Buck of Coachville.com, is "People are workers with jobs to contribute to making things. People are consumers of the things others make."

The fundamental philosophy is that...

• More, Better, and Efficient is Better.
• Things will make you happy.
• Work is good.
• We've turned everything into "work" - we go to work, work on relationsips, work at our golf, etc

The past 20 years though, has witnessed a major expansion of human consciousness. People have begun to wake up to the real possibilities of life and are not so interested in the accumulation of cheap things - especially when abusing the Earth and people are part of the process of making these things cheaply.

In addition, more and more people are no longer interested in toiling away day in and day out at a meaningless job that gives them no satisfaction just so they can earn the money to buy more things.

So, Mr. Buck's theory is that this "shift in awareness is CAUSING the recession." When people purchase less things, the economy naturally recesses.

But - here's where the different perspective comes in....

Let's look at the word again....

RECESSion

Recess means to stop working and PLAY!

Those things that we've traditionally relied on.... a good job with benefits, money in the bank, a governement to protect us..... these outer structures are falling apart. And are "forcing" us to regroup and reconnect with our Inner Self and re-evaluate what is really important.

Enter the Inspiration Economy.....

This type of economy, as Dave says, is fueled by....

• the human desire to live purposefully and add value to the lives of others
• the human desire for things that are made with inspiration - inspiration is NOT always efficient
• the human spirit of play - the desire for purposeful play

In this type of economy, people make decisions about what they will do and create for others based on what will best fulfills their purpose. And they make buying decisions based on what inspires them and adds value to themselves and their communities.

Fundamental philosophies that drive the Inspiration Economy are...

• Better is better
• People are Investors, not consumers. They invest in themselves and in beautiful things for their environments
• People are players and creators of value - not workers. They create things and services that add value to the lives of others in a way that fulfills their own purpose.

Value, meaning, purpose and play are the new buzz words. And the central way to approach life is through creativity, fun, resilience, collaboration, and resourcefulness - in endeavors that are meaningful whether related to career, family, business, health, romance, or spiritual connections.

What do you think?

Here's to continuing the Journey.... trying on new perspectives, letting go of ideas and things  that are not working.... embracing change as a way forward...

-Becky

Link to his article

Clear the Fear, Embrace Faith

"He who fears something gives it power over him."
- Moorish Proverb

With all the fear talk about the recession and everything, I wanted to do something to help people get out of the fear! and refocus their energy on more life-enhancing avenues of thought.

What you focus on, you get more of...

If you are hooked to the media and their constant bombardments of how bad things are.... then that's what you'll see all around you - only the bad stuff.

And "THEY" will have won - you've bought in to their hysteria-making, which ups their ratings, which helps their business.

It's their business to bring you the doom-and-gloom because that is what sells.

Can you really afford to continue investing in fear?

"There is much in the world to make us afraid. There is much
more in our faith to make us unafraid."
- Frederick W. Cropp

It's time to Clear the Fear and Embrace Faith... faith in yourself, faith in God, the Universe, ... whatever you call that Higher Power ....

But, to get back to Faith, you've got to make room for it by letting go of the fear.

That's what my teleclass on Saturday, March 21 will help you do. We'll go through a very powerful process of releasing fear, reconnecting with your heart, and refocusing on the love that is within and around you.

You'll also learn about the Power of Your Voice and why it's one of the oldest healing tools in the history of mankind.

Find out more or register here. I hope you'll join me.

Here's to continuing the Journey... being in service... doing what I can to help heal the planet....

-Becky

Are You Caught Up in the Fear?

With all this talk about recession, economic downfall, bail out... it's hard to stay positive.

But remember when gas prices were predicted to reach the
$4-$5 mark and everybody was focused on watching the price levels rise, talking about how bad things were getting?

Then, what happened when the "big news" changed to the candidates in the coming election? What happened to gas prices?

They went down!

This is the classic example of the law of attraction: "what you focus on grows." We have many phrases for it - like attracts like - birds of a feather flock together....

Now, the current "big news" Oh-no, doom and gloom story that the media loves to parlay is the recent bail out and impending recession.

But just think a minute.... our country has been through good economic times and bad economic times. And there have been rich people and poor people in both.

What is the common denominator here?

Each person's individual mindset - their attitude, outlook, their approach to life, their way of thinking, their state of mind....

How is your mindset right now?

Are you glued to the TV and the media's hype - investing your time and energy in their latest "the sky is falling" rantings?

Do your conversations with friends and co-workers, family center on how bad things are and how much worse they're predicted to get?

Are you invested in fear - afraid you'll lose everything?

Remember - What you focus on grows.

If you focus on fear, lack, impending doom... you'll start seeing it everywhere, in every situation of your life... the more you focus, the more you see.... it will eventually tail-spin you into a downward spiral of depression and you will suffer mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like a very fun way to live!

So what can you do?

First thing - turn off the TV! Stop watching and reading about the predicted doom and gloom. Sure, you need to be informed. But being informed and wallowing in despair are two different things. Another thing is.... the media's job is to sell advertising, sell newspapers, boost their ratings... in other words - to make money. (to make money from your fear) They don't really have your best interest at heart.

So, after you turn off the TV, start focusing on Gratitude for what you DO have. If you're reading this, that means you woke up this morning and you're still breathing! There's also a good chance you still have your family. There are still people who love you, and that you love. You still have a home, your work, your talents, your passion.

And if you're life situation is not what you want it to be, what can you do to change it? There's always something you can do differently - even if it's just to change your perspective about it.
Viktor Frankl, survived the Nazi Concentration camps because he refused to focus on the despairing situation he was in. When he saw a flower growing in the mud, he focused on the flower, not the mud.

Then, keep a Positive Money Mindset. Money is just energy. It's a convenient way to exchange energy between people. It's a lot easier to buy a pair of shoes with money than to try to find someone who will accept a handful of tomatoes from your garden in exchange for them.

In fearful economic times, it's tempting to horde your money and not spend it. But this clogs up the money flow - stopping the flow of energy. Sure, saving is good, and being frugal in our spending, making wise investments is good practice in all economic times.

It's the attitude that makes the difference - your mindset.

Are you focusing on the flower or are you focusing on the mud?

Here's to continuing the Journey.... and keeping a Positive Mindset in all areas of life!

-Becky

P.S. Affirmations are powerful tools for transforming our negative thoughts, ideas, and beliefs about anything really - but especially about money. And it's especially important in this economic time to keep focused on the "flower" instead of the "mud".

Awhile ago, I created a Positive Money Mindset CD to help you keep an open, positive mindset about money. It features a series of positive, uplifting affirmations about money, financial success, and prosperity.

You can listen to a sample, or get more information, here:

http://www.spiritualcoachingcenter.com/catalog/PMM.htm

If you'd like a copy, you can order one here:

http://tinyurl.com/6cr75k