US Economy Shrank at 3.8% Pace in Late 2008 – How is Your Personal Economy
According to BNO Headquarters on Twitter earlier this morning, the Bureau of Economic Analysis had this to report:
U.S. economy shrank at a 3.8% pace at the end of 2008, worst in a quarter-century as the recession continues.
Not exciting news. But whether it is this figure or some other doom and gloom media report, it doesn’t really matter. The question that REALLY matters is this one – How is your personal economy?
Forget the Chicken Little talk and adopt a hyper focused approach to economy rebuilding. Look only at your finances and your mindset. Everything else is just background noise or chatter. Focus on what you can control and your circle of influence and allow the rest to just be.
Nina wrote about “When Our Personal Economy is More Important than the US Economy” a while ago. Some great take-a-ways there. What I’m talking about is digging deep into your own personal money mindset and starting there. Besides the nuts and bolts of your dollars and cents – ask yourself:
- Do I feel hopeful and confident or am I fearful and scared?
- Am I putting my own self-care first? (How you treat yourself will be a direct reflection of how you treat your money.)
- Am I a good steward of the money I do have?
- Do I feel like the financial faucet has been turned off or do I have the spigot wide open as I actively prepare for good things to come my way?
- Do I spend more than 5 minutes a day reading about, obsessing about, or thinking about the media reports on the economy? (unless you’re an economist, financial adviser, or accountant, it can be deadly)
You might find these questions rudimentary or irrelevant to your goal of better finances. Yet, I find it is this very foundational inner-work that people avoid and then wonder why things haven’t changed or gotten better for them?
So as we move into February, take a few moments to look inward as it relates to your finances. THAT is an investment that is guaranteed to appreciate and yield dividends.
Photo Credit: surely
Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, offers life coaching for lesbians to help you gain the clarity, confidence, and courage you need to have success on your own terms. Get the free eCourse “The 5 Crucial C’s You Need to Succeed in Life” at her website.
Thanks for this post, Paula. I think it’s a really good reminder that we can only control our own personal sphere. Everything else is out of our control and that’s OK.
Paula: This is a good reminder that reality is kinder than our imagination. Here’s an article I found about how we can control our anxiety about the economy:
This is such wise advice Paula. It is so easy to allow anxiety about our economy to get the better of you, just like many of us allowed our anxiety about “keeping up with the joneses” to drive us to borrow money from credit cards. Concentrating on your own goals and mindset frees you from those distractions, and I think makes us happier people. Thanks for reminding me!