How to Think Richly in a Recession

The world's in a crisis, or at least the developed world is. People are afraid of losing the way they've always lived their lives; afraid of having no money to pay for what they've become accustomed to; afraid of change and what it might bring. But what actually happens in a crisis, underneath all the drama?

Possibility, that's what. In the midst of everything known going haywire, there are still pockets of possibility into which you can dip. And in these pockets, you find opportunities. Because your back is up against the wall, you're able to see these opportunities, which is where rich thinking comes in.

Why is this a particularly great time to think rich? Because it's only in a crisis that people start doing things differently. It's only when their backs are up against a wall that the creative powers within are unleashed to find a way of meeting the challenges. It doesn't happen as easily without the crisis, simply because people are not in enough discomfort to make changes. For instance, when you're bumbling along OK in your life, and you have more or less enough of everything you want, there's little motivation to make changes. Why would you? Unless you're driven by a desire to achieve something that is unrelated to outside events occurring, you won't bother to make changes, because you're comfortable enough, thank you very much.

But when events outside prod you into degrees of discomfort, then there is a huge opportunity for change to bring more wealth, in all aspects, than you ever imagined. Why? Because the source of true wealth is in between your ears - your mind.

In any given situation, whether it be caused by external events or internal, and whether you like it or not, you have an opportunity to choose. You can choose to go down the path you've always gone on, and have more of what you've always had; or you can choose to think differently and explore another path, which isn't safe and familiar, but will give you a sense of being in control of your life, in spite of external events causing havoc all over the place. It's like the old story of the two guys who were made redundant, one of whom sees it as a complete disaster, behaves as such, and finds it impossible to get another job; and the other who, after the initial shock, sees it as an opportunity to do something completely different, takes action accordingly and finds himself with a way of earning an income he would never before have imagined in a million years.

When people lose their livelihoods, have no money, and wonder what on earth is going to happen, there's room for growth. They have nothing to protect anymore, are left only with a desire to provide for themselves and their children in whatever creative way they can find. And creative ways are much more easily accessible when you're willing to start thinking differently. That's when people start not only seeing pockets of possibility, but dipping in and acting on the opportunities they find there. So what exactly is thinking rich then? It means choosing, in the face of challenges, to look at all options, to find the blessing under it's disguise, to have an open-minded outlook. It means seeing the positive side of a situation. Particularly, it means understanding that how you think and feel does not depend on outside circumstances, instead, it comes from within. In the immortal words of Groucho Marx:

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."

This does not mean that you don't feel scared, worried, anxious. It means that despite these feelings, you understand that there is another way. Instead of becoming submerged by these feelings, and frozen like a rabbit in headlights, you choose to veer away from these feelings and look instead in another direction. (Which is what the rabbit needs to do too!) With this kind of attitude, i.e. rich thinking, the possibility of enjoyment of life is still there, regardless of what is happening in the larger world, or even within your own small world.

So becoming familiar with how your mind works, what thoughts you think, and how they affect your feelings and experiences; this is the first step on the rich thinking road. Choose to think richly - and watch your life unfold in miraculous ways.