I originally published this article in 2010, when here in the U.S. we were just coming out of a two-year recession. It’s amazing how applicable it is to the situation we find ourselves in now!

Over the past few weeks, the media is once again publishing a lot of stories about the economy and a possible depression. This frustrates me (the media portrayal) because I know that many people are incredibly sensitive to that kind of information!

At the same time, I truly understand that everything that happens is for the greater good of this planet — we just don’t always understand the bigger picture while it’s happening. I bet every one of you can remember something happening in your life that you thought was terrible at the time, but you can now see was critical to something good happening later.

Whenever I see something that looks “ugly” to me in the moment, I try to step back and see the good that’s coming from it. So, this morning I was thinking about this re-emergence of the doom and gloom media reports, and I realized they’re providing people with an incredible opportunity.

You see, despite what’s reported on, there are a good number of people like myself who’ve been busy creating success over the past few years, and have not let all this negative chatter stop us! It’s kind of like Amelia Earhart once said: “Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.”

So back to my point here. What if all this is happening so that people can become aware of whether they are creators or reactors in their own lives? The first step to any solution is awareness of the problem. And while many people think the problem here is “the economy,” some of us know differently!

The good news is that once you know what the real problem is, the solution is obvious. So if the real problem is the belief that you are controlled by things going on around you, it’s the belief that needs to be changed, not the economy!

If you change the belief, you’ll create a permanent solution. If, on the other hand, you sit around and wait for the economy to change, you will forever be dependent on the state of the economy to have the life you want.

As an empowerment coach, my life’s work is all about helping people reconnect to their own inner power so that they can create their lives rather than let things outside of them determine them. And really, the fundamental difference between people who are thriving right now and those who are living in financial fear is the “knowing” that we can create what we want regardless of what’s going on around us.

The first step in making a change like this in our consciousness is the awareness that we’re allowing ourselves to be controlled by things external to us. If you’re a person who was thriving when the “economy was good” and are now struggling because “the economy is bad,” you have an incredible opportunity here!

Right here in this moment…
You have an important decision to make…
Will you continue to let your life be determined for you?
Or will you choose differently?

This could be one of the most important decisions you will ever make!