Choosing My Attitude

Times have been tough and business has not been “as usual.”

Many of us are seeing cuts where we never thought we would. People are losing their jobs. GM is breaking apart, Chrysler in bankruptcy, Ford still struggling. Banks trying to raise money, credit card companies raising interest rates on people with good credit.

The game has become challenging. For some, going to work has become a anxiety-filled part of life. No one really knows what lies around the corner. It has become hard to to predict the market, even based on historical trends.

Despite all of the uncertainty, we must learn to choose our attitude. I admit this has been a struggle for me over the past year. But after months of riding the roller coaster, I decided that it was time to restore my optimism.

I discovered that the security we all felt back a year or two ago was just an illusion. This illusion was revealed last September when Wall Street started its meltdown. We all could be optimistic when the DOW was breaking records and our 401ks were up 30% in a year.

If I could be optimistic while living through an economic bubble, why should I not be optimistic during a realistic correction in our entire economy? Although reality is not pretty, it is not an illusion.

So, today I chose my attitude by updating my status on FaceBook as “optimistic.” I love the snarky remarks I am getting from people. Maybe I will even “tweet” some optimism on Twitter.

If I do not concentrate on the opportunities ahead, I will get stuck in the present. That is not a place where I want to stay.