How to Grow and Stay Positive During a Global Recession

By dougnau on Jun 5, 2009 in Consciousness, Goal Setting, Personal Growth, Positive Thinking

Lets face it – today’s financial crisis has affected everyone in one way or another. For the majority of us that work, we still hold our jobs, and our day to day lifestyle has not changed dramatically. We may be making different decisions based on a newly found sense of conservatism, some fear of the unknown (particularly with the uncertainties around job security) and on paper we may not be as well off as we once were since the stock market tanked. But generally, life looks pretty similar to how it looked before the economic downturn. What’s changed is our mentality.

There are, of course, those who’ve been more directly affected by layoffs, downsizing, consolidation, furlough’s, adjustable rate mortgages, etc., who simply can’t live how they once did. It may even be difficult to imagine how one can support their family. This is not a pretty situation to be in. On the other hand, there are businesses that flourish during economic downturns. Companies and individuals see the possibility a downturn provides and they relish the opportunity to provide value in return for revenues to those that could use their product/service the most. Even for those that are having significant financial success during a down economy, it can be difficult to stay positive when we hear so much negative information in the world around us. So how can I stay positive when so much negative energy seems to be around me?

Make Growth your Goal

One goal can always be set (which provides proven way to stay positive) that you can always achieve no matter what your life situation entails. This is the goal of growth. When one focuses on growth, every event, no matter what that outcome of that event is, becomes a stepping stone to leverage in the path forward. A stepping stone that leads to a more fulfilling outcome. Seem difficult to do? Its not – its as simple as making a choice to make growth your goal and asking yourself questions routinely (outlined below). This simple shift can have an enormous impact on your life.

Firstly, realize that difficult situations bring out personal qualities that may never otherwise arise and therefore provide the greatest opportunity for growth. When I was diagnosed with Cancer and told that I had a 60% chance to live, I learned something that I would never have otherwise known. I learned that I am calm, collected, strong, clear headed, and capable of making decisions of utmost importance when put to the most challenging of tests. I also learned that there are bigger things in life than work, money, ‘stuff’, and my ego - and that I’d be best served as a person re-prioritizing much of how I lived.

At the time growth wasn’t a goal I had set. But it marked the start of my conscious process of living a growth oriented life. When I began my coach training, an instructor asked us ‘how would it be if we were to learn that there was neither good or bad out there, it were all just feedback from which we can grow?’. Isn’t it so? The world spins, time passes, life happens, and our minds interpret all of the information presented to turn it into our life situation. Our life situation however, is not the same thing as our life (who we are). Some of the people with the most poor life situations have the richest of lives. This is because their goal is personal growth. They do not measure their richness of life in terms of financial gain, a different kind of growth. And keep in mind, there is nothing wrong with having ancillary goals such as financial gain – but there will be no way to fail if the overlying goal is personal growth.

How do I Shift my Goal to Growth?

Winston Churchill once said that success is going from one failure to the next without ever losing enthusiasm. This is the state of the growth oriented mind. What keeps someone going when they fail over and over? Its the mentality that each failure was actually a success in the the goal of personal growth. Look at your life situation and ask yourself the following questions.

How does my life (who I am) relate to my life situation (my current status)?
What can I learn from what has just happened?
What skills have I developed because of this event which I may not have otherwise developed?
What did I learn about myself throughout the process?
What might I do differently in the future, such that next time when an even bigger similar situation arises, I excel?
What good might come of the situation at hand?
How can I move beyond my comfort zone to create that which I envision?
What’s my next step?

Beginning to feel empowered? In a previous blog entry, I shared a story about the $200,000 mistake that I made. Basically, I sold $7,000 worth of stock options for about an $18,000 profit. Six months later when the company was sold, those same options were worth $225,000. It would have been simple for me to wait till these matured if I could stomach a bit more risk. After all I’d worked with that company nearly a decade. This would have had a significant impact on my financial situation. If my goal were not growth when I heard the news, I could have taken a serious step back. I learned from this event that I could have easily tolerated a bit more risk in life, and next time, I’ll make the right decision when the stakes are much higher. I am confident of this.

As a result, it took me about 30 minutes to shrug off the poor choice – a $200,000 bad call and to move on with the day. Its an expensive learning experience, so I’ve vowed to make the learning worth $200k! You too can turn any situation, no matter how gloomy it seems, into its positive counterpart – lifetime growth.

Be Well