It seems like everything is back to normal this week.
I took a massive 5-week break over Christmas and New Years. Lots of time to reflect and think about 2008 as well as plan for 2009.
Nothing has changed though.
- The economic concerns are still ever-present.
- Unemployment is alarmingly on the rise.
- Credit is tight.
- Plenty of wars being fought, but most of that is buried in the press.
…It sure looks bad doesn't it? At times like this, it's always handy to look at the past and see the future.
So let's look back and see some bad times that we've lived through, survived and prospered.
In 1780, George Washington said, “We're without money and have been for so for a great length of time…”
George went on to create a million-dollar real estate portfolio 229-years ago (probably worth a gazillion dollars today).
In 1840 a farmer wrote, “So great is the panic and so dreadful the distress that there are great many farms prepared to receive crops and some of them actually planted – and yet deserted… not a human being to be found upon them.”
We got over that problem too.
In 1857 a newspaper editor stated, “It's a gloomy moment in history. Not for many years, not in the lifetime of most men who read this newspaper, has there been so much grave and deep apprehension.”
…That passed as well.
In 1873 a famous industrialist said, “All over the country, manufacturers are closing their works and discharging their operatives – simply because they can neither sell the goods they make nor borrow money to carry them until the demand for them revives.”
Sounds familiar? We survived that panic as well.
Interestingly enough, you're probably completely unaware of the economic disasters that we've had throughout history.
There were a few others. These ones you know about. They were:
The Great Depression in 1929
… We got over that one.
Not one, but TWO World Wars.
… They passed as well.
Who can forget the Y2K panic?
… Seems now like a storm in a tea-cup.
Then there was the end of the Internet in 2001.
… The net has never been stronger.
9/11, the day the world changed.
… We survived that as well.
Here's my point, and it's a massive lesson…
What appears to be gloom and doom is often just the focus of the media.
Consider what Gandhi once said, “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth, love and prosperity have always won… There have been tyrants, murderers and for some time they seemed invincible. But in the end, they always fall… Think of that …always.”
Your lesson here is that life will always have ups and downs. The secret here is to flow with the tide as best we can. Complaining about how bad it is doesn't help – it probably makes it worse by blinding you to the opportunities.
In every panic and gloomy situation, those with their eyes wide-open, not focused on the problems seize opportunities.
This “bad” time might become the greatest period of prosperity for you.
What you need to do is listen, act and prosper.
There are opportunities around you if you look for them now.
The past is instructive.
The future is bright.
The only thing you have is the present – and that's where your point of power comes from.
Don't be sucked in by the mass-media hysteria which always make sit worse than it actually is – and better than it should be.
andrew says
Thank you Giann
I agree. Opportunities abound.
Spotting opportunities requires a prepared mind. A mind that can “see”.
The question is – What tools do we have to see? What tools do we have to think and act differently in both ups and downs?
Best regards
Andrew
Shirley Mundt says
I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. The media can always make things seem better or worse than they actually are. There are many more important things than money in life: eg having faith, family and friends, and health, and I know I am truly blessed in these areas. If we use our talents wisely for the good of others, I believe that God will see to it that we have the things we need.
Wendy says
Well said Jon. The media focuses on what they think will sell the most. In most cases, that’s the doom and gloom stuff. How much of a news report makes you feel good?
Now is the perfect time to seize opportunities – we are surrounded by them if you are open to it and know where to look.
Wendy
Tom says
Jon,
Your emails are truly inspiring. It’s good to read stuff that’s different from the mass media and what the are masses blindly following.
But people seem to feed on the negativity day in day out. They wake up with it first thing in the morning (called newspaper). What about all the good stuff that happens everyday on the planet?
For the majority of us there is no crisis at all. What Crisis? We still drive our cars, go to the supermarket, go to our jobs or school, dine out, play with our kids, watch the tennis games etc etc.
Switch off the crisis now! Switch off the television and create your own reality.
Energy flows where-ever the focus goes. Now let’s create abundance because there is enough for everybody, if only we use our resources wisely.
Christina says
Hi there, I totally agree with what you said . Winston Churchill once said that “The further back into the past that you look, the further into the future you can see”
Rajb says
Your thoughts are like sunshine shinning through the dark clouds.
Believe in what you feel, not in what the media wants to paint.
With low and getting even lower interest rates, low fuel prices and shares & property getting cheaper it is a wonderful time to invest.
Live to rule the world… (on your terms)
Rod Hyatt says
Right on Jon!
This needs to be sent to the media. It’s about time they learned that we are not going to swallow all the BS they keep shoveling out.
Is it OK to “lift” this and send it to my list?
Peace, Power and Prosperity,
RhinoRod