Go to work on your Life.

Worldwide, the economy is a shocker. I mean it really is on its knees - it feels like a lifeless statue.

You can self-talk positive affirmations as much you like, but if no one is buying then it won't matter a jot.

Any endeavour is built on commerce: the ability to buy and sell.

No buyers = extinction.

You are working harder and harder just to stand still.

The bills keep coming with increasing alacrity.

If and when you have time to THINK, you are left with the abiding impression that life is hard, bloody hard.

Trying to think of a way out of things is not your top priority. Keeping a roof over your head ranks higher.

I am not a pessimist. Truly. Yes, I have my Black Dog moments, but I am able to rise above my sloth and fight my way of self-induced stupor.  I need time like all of us but sooner or later I can find the nugget of inspiration.

Anyone who has lived through a recession always has an eye on the upturn but right now it is really hard to predict when things will turn a corner. The moment in other words when you can let out a sigh of relief...

No one would blame you for merely existing. It's safe.

And who the hell am I to tell you any different. 

But once you reach this point, you have to console yourself with the fact that it can't get any worse. 

In my view, now is the best time to go to work on your life. You might not get another chance.

• Spend time on your relationships. They are more important than anything else.
• Focus on being present. Each day is a gift. 
• Don't take anything for granted.
• Work out what you like, what is just so so and those things that you can do without. The most successful people not only rise up above the daily grind they have established a purpose or higher calling.
• Take pleasure in the simple things. We forget how lucky we are sometimes. Just imagine if you had no running water, no food or a free society. All very bleak I know, but there are many people in the world, too many, who wake up to this every day. Yes, it is trite that there is always someone worse off than you! 
• Maximise your earning potential. Lots has been written about getting yourself out of debt, principally based on spending less, but not enough on the top line. My advice is to look at avenues that maximise your gifts that can be turned into cash. What do you enjoy making or do you have a service that is capable of bringing in some extra income?
• Do less. I know this in counter-intuitive to having to take on more paid work but you need to make time to think.
• Think about your circle of friends and acquaintances. How can you help each other?
• We get out of life what we put in. If all you ever do is seed the ground with negative thoughts then those seeds will, as likely, come home to roost. One of the best decisions I made recently was to stop listening to the news. It has meant that I have stopped consuming a whole slew of negative information that I have no power to control. I haven't quite weaned myself off of newspapers but I am much more discerning about what I read.

At the end of the day, the only person who can dig yourself out of the hole you find yourself in is you. 

Making change is never easy. But you have to start somewhere. I like the idea of Kaisen meaning continuous improvement. Take the easy thing first and go to work on it until you make a break through. 

Where would I start?

I would start with my mindset.

I would acknowledge the precious gift of life and the possibilities that each day brings.

After that I would look at my income generating opportunities. 

And then the thought of the next 12 months. How would I like to change things?

And then...

Just doing something different each day. 

I know this might sound a bit wispy but for me it is about challenging the status quo and accepting that I have the power to change my circumstances more so than any governement or institution.

I love life.

I love the potential it offers.

And the opportunity to make a dent on the world, no matter how small.

~ Julian Summerhayes ~