Everyone seems to be bitching about this economy (ok, not everyone in MY reality, but in a lot of people’s…) Sure, there are plenty of people out there who are hurting. There are tons of examples of how we’re getting poorer and poorer. Never mind that the global standard of living has been steadily rising over the last, um, forever. Sure, there were some dips here and there (the Dark Ages come to mind), but overall, we are much, MUCH better off than we were at any other time in history. But nope, there are people screaming everywhere about how bad the economy is and that’s just too compelling a story to ignore. So, you’re probably one of three kinds of people:

1. You’re really, really poor. You’re basically homeless and don’t know where your next meal is coming from. If this is you, I doubt that you’re reading this blog, so this post isn’t really for you. Unless homeless people have iPads now. Do they? I don’t even have an iPad.
2. You’re basically financially ok, but you’re afraid that you may lose your job, that inflation will make things too expensive for you to buy or that your kids won’t be able to afford college. If this is you, today’s blog post is for you. This is Part I of a two part series on the economic “crisis”.
3. You’re basically ok and you know it, but every time you see someone who’s in need, or just has less than you do, you feel really badly about it. If this is you, you’ll particularly enjoy Sunday’s post, which will be Part 2 in this series, and will deal with the guilt we feel over having more than others.
4. You fall into both categories 2 and 3. You’re really afraid of losing what you have, AND you feel guilty for having more than others.  Yeah… you’re pretty much screwed. Unless of course, you read both today’s and Sunday’s posts. And comment on them. And share them on Facebook. That’s good Karma, y’all.

Put down the shotgun, soldier

Let’s say that you’re basically ok, but you spend all day bitching about how bad things are and worrying about losing your job and becoming an iPad carrying hobo. Let me ask you something: How exactly is focusing on the worst possible scenario going to help you? I mean, there are a lot of different perspectives to choose from here, and you decide to go with the worst feeling one? Why would you do that? Do you really think that if you don’t keep staring at the thing you’re most afraid of, that it’s going to sneak up on you in the night and bite you in the ass? Do you have a belief that as soon as you take your eye off the ball (the ball being your biggest fear in this case), that it’s going to swallow you up? Is your insistence on torturing yourself this way an attempt to be “ready for the worst“, as if you’re guarding the fort from some sneaky enemy, that’s just waiting for you to make the fatal mistake of feeling better?

Your fear of the boogieman creates the boogieman

Listen up: You get what you focus on. So, by focusing on your worst fear, you’re going to manifest it, or other experiences that feel just like it. Period. So stop adding to the economic crisis, already! If you want your situation to change, if you want to bring security and abundance into your reality, you’ll have to change what you focus on. But you can’t just start thinking “I’m ok. I have lots of money. I’m freaking rich”, if you don’t believe a word of it. Because it’s the underlying belief that manifests, not your pathetic attempt to cover it up with lies. You have to actually feel the way you would if you weren’t worried about the situation anymore. And in order to do that, you have to actually stop worrying about the situation.

Retrain your brain

How do you do that? You think thoughts that truly make you feel better. I’ve compiled a few examples to get you started, written in the first person. Read them in order and sit a second with each one:

• Not everyone in this economy is losing their job.
• Most of the people who are screaming the loudest actually still have jobs. They are screaming because they’re afraid. They are screaming because of something that could happen, a hypothetical situation, a worst case scenario. But their screaming isn’t actually helping them. How many of those screamers are happy? That last sentence could totally be read the wrong way…
• I still have a job, a place to live, and even if money is tighter, I’m basically ok.
• Compared to other countries, our standard of living is ridiculously high (this is true for pretty much any English speaking country, and many others). For example: Melody lives in Spain. She’s not even homeless and yet, she doesn’t have an iPad. Point made.
• A lot of people who are unemployed are getting jobs. You just don’t hear about that as much. “People get jobs” just doesn’t make as catchy of a headline as “Economy says: Go f$%k yourselves!”
• I don’t have to keep looking at the problem in order to know that it’s there. I’m not a goldfish. I’ll remember that it’s there. I don’t have to beat myself over the head with it continuously. I’m aware that there’s an economic “crisis” for some people.
• I can focus on the solution. If I don’t focus on the solution, I won’t find it. I’ve been training my brain to look for more problems. I can retrain my brain to look for solutions. Also, my keys. I can retrain my brain to look for my keys. I just had them yesterday, godammit.
• I can’t really compare myself to those who are struggling. I’m not the same person as them. I have no idea what their circumstances are, what fears they are overcoming, what risks they’ll take, or what their path is. So the chances are actually quite slim that I’ll end up exactly the way they did. I’ll definitely be better dressed. I mean, good Gawd! Don’t those people have mirrors?
• There are people in this economy that are not only surviving, but thriving. And not just the super rich, but everyday people who decided to find opportunities and start their own businesses. Some of those people are 18 year old billionaires. Maybe I won’t think about those people as examples.
• The economic crisis actually had some positive consequences. A lot of the people who were laid off had been unhappy in their jobs for a long, LONG time but didn’t quite have the guts to leave. It’s like the Universe forced them to do something they’d been wanting to do anyway.
• There are actually people out there (a lot of them, if one cares to look) who are now BETTER off. They are happier, have found better jobs or started their own businesses, are living their passions and will tell you that this “crisis” is the best thing that ever happened to them. It wasn’t the prettiest route, but it got them to where they ultimately wanted to go. The moral here is: Some people have to get kicked in the ass to get where they want to go. Am I one of those people?
• Maybe, just maybe, if they could do it, I could do it, too. Perhaps if I start focusing on what I want instead of what I don’t want, I could start finding opportunities I never knew where there, as well!
• Hey! I found my keys!
• A lot of the companies that went under had been doing a horrible job for a long time and were only kept afloat by an inflated economy. A lot of what happened could be seen as an economic correction, really. Companies are getting leaner and smarter. Mismanagement is no longer going to be tolerated. Companies actually have to provide value and treat their customers well again.
• A lot of the really good businesses are still there. They might have taken a hit, but they’ve survived. They’ve always done a great job, and that kept them afloat.
• When I go shopping, the stores aren’t empty. People are still buying things. Restaurants still have guests, taxis are still being used. Even if things have slowed a bit, it’s not exactly the freaking depression, is it?
• What if this whole “crisis” was a huge, vibrational shift that, although not entirely pleasant, will ultimately wake people up to what’s really important? It’s not like people were happy. But now they’re aware that they’re unhappy. And they think it’s because of the crisis. But the crisis didn’t cause the unhappiness, it just uncovered it. And awareness is the first step in healing.
• We seem to be moving away from the big, bloated, don’t care if we kill our customers corporations and back to skilled, independent labor which creates actual value. Could this be a good thing? Could this mean the return of diversity, more competition, more opportunities to be creative and passionate and a demand for employees who actually think for themselves?
• What if I don’t need to manifest a lay-off for myself? What if all this worrying has been my wakeup call? What if I were to use this as a catalyst to re-evaluate what I actually want?
• What if I went for it? What would that feel like?
• What if I was successful at it? What if I changed companies and got a job I actually love? What if I started that business I’ve always wanted to start? What if I looked at this not as a higher risk situation, but my chance to grab an opportunity?
• What if all of this is a good thing?

These are just some of the thoughts you could use to work your way into a better feeling place (organized by vibration for your convenience. If you thought this was helpful, check out The Vibrational Ladder, which details the technique I used here.)

Now that you’re feeling better about your current situation, you may still be dealing with the guilt of having more than some others. Well, don’t despair my pretties. That issue will be addressed on Sunday.

In the meantime, earn yourself some good karma points by telling me one thing that makes you feel good about the economic situation or our personal financial situation right now. No bitching allowed. Seriously. Keep it really positive and you’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel afterwards. 🙂 Ready? Go!