Weathering Changes
Winner's Circle Network with Lou Tice
- 1/12/09 - "Weathering Challenges"

The economic news of the last couple of months
has been quite the challenge for a lot of people,
all over the world. Let's spend some time this week
talking about these challenges and what we can do,
as individuals and communities.

One of the traps we, as human beings, can get caught
in is looking at our economic and financial situations
as happening "to" us. We see things from an external
perspective, and believe we are powerless to do anything.
If you can visualize a leaf traveling at the mercy of the
wind, you get a pretty good picture of someone who sees
life happening "to" them. This is an external "locus of
control" and puts us in the mindset of a victim.

Now, what would happen if we changed our perspective
to one of an internal locus of control? What if we asked
ourselves the question, "What can I do 'for' me?" How
does that change the way we look at ourselves and our
abilities?

Well, for one thing, we take back control of our lives and
our decisions. It's like adding a rudder and a motor to
that leaf blowing in the wind, and plotting our own course
through the breeze. We give ourselves the power to
determine the direction in which we travel through
challenges. You are only a victim if you allow yourself
to be a victim.

The various forms of media are having a field-day
painting "the public" as victims of the economic
downturn. But keep in mind that "disaster" headlines
are meant to sell papers and magazines to keep
advertising dollars. Televised media is not just
reporting the news, but sometimes making the
news in order to get ratings and advertising dollars.

In these uncertain economic times, it is easy to fall
prey to the "bad news" constantly being reported in
the media. If you are wise, and I believe that all of us
have access to untapped wisdom stored in our minds,
you will be a skeptical listener and reader, and take
charge of your own decisions about your future.

Lou TiceThe Pacific Institutewww.thepacificinstitute.com