I have previously written about the first two steps needed to overcome a personal or fiscal crisis. Step One is to immediately affirm gratitude no matter what your situation or circumstance. Step Two is to accept responsibility for your situation and the outcomes in your life. In both of these Steps there is no need for anyone to be rescued. In fact, It is my belief that our internal compass, that sense of ourselves as helpless victims of circumstance, is the very reason why many of us are in crisis to begin with.

The Third Step then is to face the very thing you fear–whatever or whomever it is. Each and every one of us has the ability to think our way out of our fears if only we avoid the trap of obsessing about their inevitability. And that’s the challenge really. On some level we have created our own personal crisis by focusing on the very things we don’t want to have happen. And then, as so often happens, our fears begin to rear their ugly heads and we stand paralyzed to prevent them. It is the constant, unrelenting focus on what we fear that limits our options and prevents the resolution of our problems.

So what then, is the solution? Continue reading Step 3 to Financial and Personal Recovery

As the recent recession continues along its path of devastation, a recovery will continue to languish and sputter, slipping us deeper into economic dismay until we as a society adapt an attitude of gratitude. During these difficult days, economic recovery has become elusive because the consumer isn’t consuming like he or she used to, and everyone seems to be holding their position, waiting for the current economic cycle to pass, waiting for a return to the good ol’ days of yesteryear.

And lets face it, the “good ol’ days” were indeed good years. Everyone seemed to be doing well. There were jobs and wealth, and lots of exciting things going on for all classes of society. It seemed like we were on the road to even greater, never-ending prosperity. But like the proverbial House of Cards, it may have looked right but it wasn’t, and when it finally came tumbling down, we realized that much of the last decade’s wealth was built on the false premise of easy credit and borrowing our way to greater wealth.

Sadly, both the face of true success and the prosperous bubble we were living in looked very similar. That’s why it was so hard to see the bubble building because it looked and felt so much like the real thing. However, the real thing is Continue reading The Best Fix For Our Economy And The End To The Boom-Bust Cycle, Part II

The solution to our country’s disastrous economic downturn can best be summed up in one word: “Gratitude.” It was our fore bearers gratitude for the blessings they encountered that made America great. This unconditional gratitude was freely given in spite of the immense obstacles they had to tackle with each new generation. Now, we too have our own enormous challenges to overcome. We’ve gotten ourselves into an economic mess and I believe it is fair to say that the lack of gratitude by this generation is the root cause. Until we learn the power and benefits of gratitude, we will continue to languish and sputter in economic dismay, unable to fix anything.

All the government programs to revive our economy Continue reading The Best Fix For Our Economy and the End to The Boom-Bust Cycle, Part I

As the recent recession continues along its path of devastation, a recovery will continue to languish and sputter, slipping us deeper into economic dismay until we, as a society, adapt an attitude of gratitude. Economic recovery has become elusive because the consumer isn’t consuming like he or she used to. These days, everyone seems to be holding their position, waiting for the current economic cycle to pass; waiting for a return to the good ol’ days of yesteryear. And lets face it, the “good ol’ days” they were indeed good years. Everyone seemed to be doing well. There were jobs and wealth, and lots of exciting things going on for all classes of society, and it seemed like we were on the road to even greater prosperity. But like the proverbial House of Cards, it may have looked right but it wasn’t. And when it finally came tumbling down, we realized that much of the last decade’s wealth was built on the false premise of easy credit and borrowing our way to greater wealth.

Sadly, the face of true success and the prosperous bubble we were living in really don’t look that much different. That’s why it was so hard to see the bubble building — because it looked and felt so much like the real thing. Ahh, but alas, the real thing is built on a different kind foundation. A real foundation is built on hard work, prudent savings, and some patience rather than wild speculation. Real success is Continue reading The Best Fix For Our Economy And The End To The Boom-Bust Cycle, Part II

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The solution to our country’s disastrous economic downturn can best be summed up in one word: “Gratitude.” It was our forebearers gratitude for the blessings they encountered that made America great. This unconditional gratitude was freely given in spite of the immense obstacles they had to tackle with each new generation. Now, we too have our own enormous challenges to overcome. We’ve gotten ourselves into an economic mess and I believe it is fair to say that the lack of gratitude by this generation is the root cause. Until we learn the power and benefits of gratitude, we will continue to languish and sputter in economic dismay, unable to fix anything.

All the government programs to revive our economy and the so called “stimulus” plans are fine as temporary measures, but nothing will work effectively or permanently until Continue reading The Best Fix For Our Economy And The End To The Boom-Bust Cycle, Part I

From the sound of it, someone on the quest for Enlightened Consciousness may be under the mistaken belief that they must climb to the top of a mountain in the Himalayas, consult with a spiritual guru, and learn about the meaning of life. But the reality of Enlightened Consciousness is that it is all around us. All we’ve got to do is look and listen. Consider the efforts of an Enlightened Landlord from the Pittsburg and Washington D.C. area named L.A. Davis.

Mr. Davis is a landlord who sees things a little differently. In this month’s issue of Solar Today there is an article about this real estate developer and landlord who, for the last four years, has been improving his rental properties to achieve increased energy efficiency, and he is now in the process of installing small solar systems for his rentals. To quote Davis from the Solar Today article, “As a landlord, I saw that my tenants couldn’t pay their heating bill and their rent. From an eviction and foreclosure perspective, I figured the key is Continue reading The Enlightened Landlord

When conferring with clients regarding enhanced business practices, Michael Masters and I are often asked about the formula for success. Clients are most interested to know what it takes to insure success for either a new business start-up or to rejuvenate an existing enterprise that has lost it’s sizzle. When analyzing the success behind existing businesses and start-ups, fundamental questions always rise to the surface; why does one business succeed while others fail? What is that intangible difference that defines success? Is there a means of guaranteeing success in business ventures? These are tough questions and when the subject comes up, I am reminded of a simple formula for success recently related to me by a close friend, Cliff Custer.

Whether it a start-up or an existing business, Cliff’s formula for success is something akin to a math formula: S = P x L. Success (S) is equal to Continue reading The Formula For Success

Doing the right thing. Somehow this sounds so easy. Isn’t it just a matter of doing the obvious? Don’t we all strive to do the right thing? Not always. The world of news headlines is dominated by the actions of people, organizations, corporations, and countries that have chosen to do the wrong thing, whether intentionally, accidentally, or maliciously. Can doing the wrong thing actually be that attractive? Perhaps the challenge lies with identifying the right thing, and is doing the right thing difficult to identify? Oh, so many questions.

Consider this: there is always Continue reading Doing The Right Thing

Change. It’s unavoidable. It surrounds us, both in our own personal lives and in the overall life of society itself. The task of controlling change well be the single, most underrated challenge confronting each and every one of us.

Take for example the achievement of tough social change, like balancing the budget. Most everyone agrees that achieving a balanced budget will ultimately become the centerpiece of a sustained economic recovery that benefits everyone. But is such a monumental change achievable? Continue reading Living With Change

The challenge of attaining positive change through enlightened consciousness is a concept that has an intimidating tone to it, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, when taken in small manageable steps, change is easily managed whether it is for your personal or business life. In either case, when what you’re doing isn’t working and you make an effort to do something different, change happens. It is my belief that attaining the habits of positive change is a matter of practice, so I have broken the challenge of change into 3 simple steps:

Step 1 – Embrace change.

Step 2 – Do the Right Thing.

Step 3 – Learn to Forgive.

These 3 steps may at first seem incredibly oversimplified but like any new endeavor, the steps to positive change must to be simple in order to move forward toward achieving more complicated changes in one’s life. Step 1, Embracing Change, is the recognition that change happens every day of our lives without us giving it any thought whatsoever.

There are changes in the weather; changes in traffic; changes in our weight; changes in our clients attitude… well, you get the idea. We are surrounded by change. Accept the fact that life IS change and that decisions we make every day can lead to positive changes in our life.

Before we discuss the more complicated choices that lead to change, let us begin with a very simple example of embracing change.

Suppose your doctor has recommended you make dietary changes in order to achieve better health. Ordinarily, you glide through breakfast without a second thought. But if you’ve recognized that a change in diet is necessary for optimum health, the choices you make have greater implications. So in this simple example, today you may consider making a small choice that makes today’s breakfast in some way more nutritious than the one you had yesterday. By consciously sprinkling less salt on your eggs, you’ve effectively made a positive change in your life and effortlessly moved on to Step 2 — doing the right thing. A few less sprinkles of salt may seem moderately meaningless, but it is a step toward the enlightened consciousness of attaining better health. Less salt in your diet is the best thing for your heart and your blood pressure… just ask your cardiologist!

But suppose at tomorrow’s breakfast you forget your decision to use less salt on your morning eggs and instead of using less, you over-salt them. It’s okay! Go to Step 3 and learn to forgive, starting with yourself. Cut yourself some slack. There’s always tomorrow’s breakfast so resolve to stay on the path and try again tomorrow.

This example of the path toward enlightened consciousness may seem trite… but the process of accepting change, doing the right thing, and forgiving yourself if you fail will ultimately lead to a healthier, balanced life for yourself and for those who love you as well.

Michael Masters

Life Coaching for Enhanced Business Practices