Being Positive In A Negative Economy

Most of the reports we hear on television right now are negative and about problems with living in our times.

• There is negative news on the current government administration
• Negative news on the state of our economy
• Negative news about the dollar collapsing
• Negative news on events going on around the world
• And negative news on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With all that negativity, how do we find something to be positive about today? Most MLM upline and mentors tell you to NOT listen to the news so you can stay positive. However, I do NOT agree. You have an inherited responsibility, as a United States Citizen, to protect the liberties our "Fore Fathers" charged to us through the enormous price they paid to give us those liberties.

Think for a moment, how would you build up your business to the level you dream of, if you did not have the liberties you enjoy because of their sacrifices? What are you willing to sacrifice to protect what they gave us?

I enjoyed church this week, it inspired me to think more positively about the gloom and doom going on around me. I thought it would be good to share some of what I learned today with you. Take it for what it's worth to you and apply whatever you feel will help you deal with the negatives in your own life.

The first thing I learned is that how we deal with our circumstances is all about perspective, the way we view events taking place around us. We may choose to live in our own little world and think all is well, we can accept the reality of the world we live in and complain about it, or we can choose to accept things as they are but be positive in our responses to what we see and hear.

The way I see it, we have a choice to be negative or positive about our environment. If we choose to be positive, that may mean we need to change our mindset. It also means we may need to challenge ourselves to do something that helps us live in the world but not be of the world. In other words, we make the choice to respond positively to negative events going on in our lives.

Accepting that we are not alone in this world, that there is no need to suffer through it by ourselves, gives us a sense of hope and well-being. We have each other, we have our communities on the Internet and at home, and we have a "Father in Heaven"; a being who loves us and will protect us in the safe cocoon that he provides us.

My suggestion is that we become as a grove of trees. This means that, as trees stand close together and catch another when it falls, we too can catch someone falling in life's storms. As trees lean against another until someone comes along to tether them up to straighten them, we can do the same when we help someone.

My point is made clear in a commercial we hear on television. In the commercial, a woman has fallen and calls out "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up". There are people we know right now who have fallen in a life storm, or we could have fallen as well. They are calling out this same cry! 

With a positive attitude, we can catch each other when we fall. In this way, we prevent someone from toppling over in a life storm or becoming washed away in the torrent. Also, we can allow someone to lean on us for awhile or until he or she tethers themselves to whatever helps them straighten up and stand again.

As we become more like a grove of trees in a storm, we gather strength from each other. This strengthens us as we face our challenges right now, and helps us weather the brunt of our economic storm. By standing close to each other, we know we have someone near who understands what we are going through and knows how to help us. This knowledge alone can be very comforting to us.

Think about it, when we put together our resources, our time and talents, with encouragement from others and love from each other, we can accomplish great things that would not normally be accomplished alone.

Our nation is notorious for standing together in a crisis. Remember 9/11, how we came together to help those afflicted by the disaster? It made us stronger as a nation and as a people. For a short time, we forgot about our differences and about politics, and we came together for support from each other.

I wrote these thoughts after 9/11/2001, regarding the way people responded to that crisis. We can learn something from them about becoming a positive influence in troubling times.

You were an inspiration to this country, as you came together from far and wide across this nation;
united in purpose and patriotism.

 This was shown in the flags you raised and the songs you sang,
in the candles you lit and the prayers you said.

With heads held high and caring arms spread, you hugged each other
as tears were shed.

You were a ray of sunshine in the middle of turmoil, and an inspiration when this country
was thrust into chaos.

No one did this alone; we did it together! Together we bridged the chasm of grief and despair,
and together we face the future.

Although outraged for what happened that day, we must be united
in order to be strong.

 We saw people come out from all walks of life and all corners of the world to support people in New York - in their time of need. In addition, we've seen this nation reach out to many countries and help them in their crisis as well; with many churches and organizations contributing food and supplies to suffering people. This is exactly the kind of thing I am talking about; caring for others in our own community or our online communities.

We, as a nation, will face some really hard times in the near future. When that happens, we will need to lean on each other for encouragement and support. Remember that you will hear some of those around you say, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up without your help". Will you be there to help them, or will you worry about your own problems, your own business goals, your own family's needs, or will you help them? That will be the real test of your character.