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Life Health > Running Your Business

Avoid your personal recession

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“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”
– Herm Albright

I was at dinner with colleagues as each of us tried topping the other with stories of job loss and economic failure and the “did-you-hear” kind of rumors that steam up a conversation. As the conversation fizzled, I watched as the energy that we came to dinner with seeped out the front door. We left feeling full — full of food, full of bad news and full of thoughts that don’t do anyone a service.

Contrast that with the next week when I met with a group of eternally optimistic friends. We made a pact at the beginning of the meal: no trash talk about the economy.

We know it’s out there doing its devious deeds, but we were determined to keep it from taking away from us anymore than it already had. Each of us left feeling invigorated — even hopeful — and with the promise that we would do this again very soon.

Few know better than those in the financial industry about the daily dishes of bad news, but it doesn’t mean you have to order off the menu. During the next few months, in order to remain inspired, excited and creative it will be important to surround yourself with some good stuff. Because, as I reinforced for myself, it does make a difference about the kind of “food” you put in your brain.

Consider these three tips to avoid your own internal recession:

  1. Surround yourself with positive people. Yes, it takes some doing to see the upside with daily reminders that things aren’t going so well. There are some who naturally play into negative news and feel better when they commiserate. Avoid them! Hang out with people who nourish the creative side of you. Meet with them at least twice monthly to recharge.
  2. Play the “best” game. My positive friends and I play this when we get together. It answers the question, “What’s the best thing going on for you since we last met?” It’s amazing to hear other’s good fortune. It might seem hokey, but it creates abundant thinking and hope.
  3. Start the day UP. Open a newspaper and just about anywhere in it you’ll be inundated with negative noise. Be deliberate about what you feed your head. Start the morning by reading something about what you CAN do and not what you can’t do.

Just food for thought.


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