I’ve never been so afraid in my life. I am constantly finding myself debating about whether I should deposit my money or if I should liquidate everything and bury it in tin cans in my backyard. You know banks can’t be trusted anymore.
Every time I rent a car, I get nervous about trusting my life to a car made by one of our automakers. You know Detroit can’t be trusted anymore.
Neither can “juiced up” baseball players, cheating politicians or those darned greedy CEO’s. Every time I turn on the television or open a newspaper, I am feeling increasingly more nervous about our current state of affairs. You just can’t trust anyone these days, can you? Based on what I’m seeing and reading, the United States has taken a page from Sodom and Gomorrah. The end must be near!
Or maybe not. If you think back to this exact date in 2002, our economy was in similar peril. September 11th threw our entire economy into a tailspin. At the time, we freaked out, thinking we were headed toward another Great Depression. We made it.
If you watch more than three minutes of television these days, you will notice a complete 180 degree turn from the optimism that flowed from every channel. We are now hearing skepticism laced with cynicism. TV’s talking heads are back at it again, all casting warmed over messages of gloom and doom “Yes We Can” has given way to “Yes We Can’t!”
Trust me, we will make it. We will be just fine.
As a child, when other kids said negative things to me, I always took it to heart. I would sulk for hours until my father asked me what was wrong. “He called me a so-and-so,” I would sadly respond (I always was a softie, very sensitive to people’s opinions).
My dad was very good about giving me the perfect pep talk. “And what’s your point, son,” he would say. “Just because someone says something to you doesn’t make it true. I don’t know why he said it, but his reason doesn’t have to be your reality. Jon, consider the source!”
His words have been repeated in my mind thousands of times in the last few months. Consider the source. A friend who worked for a major television network once shared with me that television is entertainment and should be regarded as such. They aren’t interested in the facts, they focus on what is going to keep your attention. She said, “If it bleeds, it reads,” meaning, only the most sensational stories are going to make the final cut on air.
How often do you suppose you’ll read a headline that says, “Husband and wife get back together and raise happy children”? Never. That’s too boring. Instead, you’ll read, “Husband kills himself and entire family, comes back to life and sells the bodies on eBay.” Now that’s a headline!
Things are no different now than they were at any other time. The only difference is that we have created a self-perpetuating near-panic in our country. Someone started their vacation today. Someone is moving into their new home today. Someone is unwrapping their new iPhone today. It won’t be reported by your favorite news station, but it’s happening!
Consider the source. Everyone has an agenda, even me. This agenda will determine the spin people will put on a situation. Some seek to profit from your paranoia. Personally, I want to see you profit from the incredible opportunities that have developed now that investments of all varieties are “on sale.” I want you to get focused and become what the experts have predicted will be the next round of billionaires that will be produced during this season. This is why, as Warren Buffet once said (paraphrased), “When others are confident, I become nervous. When others are nervous, I become confident.”
Consider the source. Scared people will never make any money. When your colleagues and friends mention the economy today, quietly measure their degree of helplessness against their level of personal success. You will find, as I have, that those who speak the most negatively are usually the least successful. They are professional victims, always looking for an external reason that validates why they can’t “get theirs.” You will also find that those who are currently prospering despite our complex economy share a very different view of our situation. I spoke with my friend Mark last week, who is a successful hard money lender. I asked him what his thoughts are about the economy and he said, “I’m more excited than ever. The weaklings in the market have been gobbled up and now those of us who know what we’re doing have less competition to worry about. Game on!” Those who have built strong wings of preparation and discipline can fly through any weather.
Consider the source. Mike Murdock said, “What you hear most, you eventually believe.” Are you filling your day with conversations present problems or future possibilities? As my father told me, their reason doesn’t have to be your reality. The one commonality in all of this is…you. You are the source of your success or your excuse. You and only you have to make the conscious effort turn away from what ‘they’ are saying about how you should feel and focus your time on learning from experts, reading positive books, CD’s, scriptures and the like. To become successful, we all have to implement he US Army’s slogan, “adapt and overcome.” What are you doing to overcome your problems? What are not doing anymore to make sure your problems don’t overcome you?
You and only you will determine your position when our economy turns back around. When the train comes roaring back at full steam, you will either hop on it or get run over by it.
The choice is yours.
© Jonathan Sprinkles. All rights reserved.
Filed under: jonathan sprinkles | Tagged: 5 minute motivator, barack obama, economy, jonathan sprinkles, sprinklisms, stimulus
excellent post. I bet you are right we’ll get through this recession. That attitude will greatly assist in recovery too.
Hi Sprinks! Yes, yes, yes. We must consider the source. I like your comment about the current everyday successes and progressions, such as “someone bought a house today.” And it’s true! My husband and I quietly celebrated our neighbor a few doors down who FINALLY sold his home after about three months on the market. So at least two entities got something out of the deal — the seller and the buyer, not to mention the bank involved, the lawyers, the realtors, and the consumer retailers who will benefit from the new homeowner.
Thanks for sharing this post. It encouraged me.