Chicken Little

chicken.jpgby David Bohl

Remember when you were a kid, and your mom and dad read you that story about Chicken Little?

Chicken Little feels an acorn drop on her head and assumes the sky is falling. She goes on to spread such misinformation to her animal friends. The chaos that ensues enables “Foxy Loxy” to come along and make a meal out of some of Chicken Little’s friends.

The story of Chicken Little is meant to show what happens when you pass along information that isn’t true. It leaves you vulnerable to attack because no one is paying attention to what’s really happening.

Lately, the mass hysteria that the media and the internet have contributed to is reminding me of that story. No, we’re not all running around squawking that the sky is falling, exactly. But we might as well be, with the election rumors flying around, the bailout backlash, and everything else that’s going on.

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Are You Focusing on the Message? (What the 2008 Presidential Election Can Teach Us About Living on the Offense)

personal coachby David Bohl, Lifestyle Redesign Expert

As I watch the U.S. Presidential campaigns — complete with polls, interviews, focus groups, and pundits — it occurs to me that each candidate’s basic message has been lost.

When you’re starting out in business, or in sales, you’re taught to focus on one solid message, and to share this message time and time again… often for a year or more before moving onto anything else.

The Presidential candidates haven’t done this. Each may have started off strong, but with the field day that the media is having, they’ve since been diverted by other peoples’ expectations.

They hear that one group of people is affected, and they tailor a TV add to try to sway that group. One candidate attacks the other, so the attacked candidate films a rebuttal. This goes on in a never-ending digression until the candidate’s message: his/her values, beliefs, and visions — are totally lost and covered up by all the extraneous bull.

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Laughing in the Face of an Economic Recession?

laughing.jpgOur nation is going through some troubling economic times right now… but you do not need to follow suit. The economy today is a horror story of financial bailouts and golden parachutes. Is the government going to bail you out if you make some not so good decisions? This is why you need to control your own financial destiny!

Don’t panic.

Easier said than done, right? Well, the truth is that the stock markets go through cycles every ten years or so. Which is why if you are close to retirement, you should be involved in low risk stocks and why if you are far from retirement, higher risks are acceptable. You should be waiting it out… not jumping ship! If you join the sell, sell, SELL bandwagon, you will be sorry when those that buy your “undervalued” stocks at a song and make a killing. An economic downturn is the best opportunity to purchase stocks (and even “designer” stocks like Google or McDonalds) at a much discounted rate.

(Note: Before you do anything, talk to your financial advisor who can help you figure out the best financial planning strategy that makes the most sense for YOU.)

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Sharing What We Covered Last Night

I wanted to send out a note of thanks to everyone who joined me for last night’s teleseminar,

“How the Average American Can Weather the Financial Crisis Without Becoming Emotionally Overwhelmed.”

I got some GREAT feedback and am feeling really good about what was presented!

I’m especially feeling good about what everybody took from the call.

That’s because I truly believe that now is the time to ACT… not just sit around in a state of paralysis over the news reports.

I want people to remember that life goes on no matter what the Dow Jones is doing. When a major crisis like what we’re seeing with the economy happens, know that it’s NOT about self preservation. It’s about self assertion!

Getting out and taking action. Making plans and following through on them. Creating a better life for you and your family. Doing it YOUR way.

As a gift of thanks for being a Slow Down Fast reader, I’d like to offer you a FREE instant replay of what was presented during last night’s teleseminar. You’ll find a link to the entire audio recording right here:

http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=4649052

Note: On this call, I reveal some truths about myself in my “past life” that I normally don’t share with people whom I’ve just met.

But as I was planning the seminar, I started thinking that it was MORE important to share my story with people who might be able to relate to it than it was to worry about possibly being judged.

If you’re working on light tasks today, why not turn up your speakers and listen in for free? 

Also: please DO share your own thoughts about how we can all “weather the financial crisis together” – and maybe even come out better people in the end!

Email me: david@slowdownfast.com, or leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your views on what’s happening in the world today.

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6 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Busting Out of the Rat Race

butterfly.jpgby David Bohl, Lifestyle Designer

The nine to five grind… you’ve been a participant since your late teens, early twenties. Is it time to take a hike? Here are six questions to ask yourself BEFORE you ditch those bennies.

Take an extended vacation… how does it feel?

Do you have some extra vacation stored up for a rainy day? Most of us do! This is the perfect time to see how you can really handle not going through the daily grind. Spend some leisurely time with your family and your hobbies. Find a hobby if you don’t already have one…reading, writing, biking, hiking, cooking. See how you handle your extended break, and make the determination of whether you want to leave the structure of your job to pursue other things.

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6 Signs It’s Time to Move On

freedom.jpgThinking about breaking up with your girlfriend, your job, or even your lifestyle? These 6 indicators can give you insight on whether to stick it out or throw in the towel.

You’re unhappy.

Seems to be a no-brainer, right? And yet, sometimes we’re so used to being unhappy in a job or a relationship that we never even realize there is any other way to feel.

Do you dread Monday morning by the time Sunday rolls around? Do you find that you have nothing positive to say or even think at your meetings during the week? In your personal life, do you choose to go out with friends because you don’t want to be alone with your wife or girlfriend? These are all signs that you need to either figure out how to improve your situation, or work on getting out of whatever you’re stuck in, and creating something new.

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Opportunity Magnified: The Value in Seeing What Others Miss

jump.jpgby David Bohl, Life Coach and Lifestyle Designer

I know it sounds cliche… but the power of positive thinking really does bring an avalanche of wonderful things pouring into your life.

From your job to your marriage to your social life to your personal interests… it pays to start listening to what your Inner Opportunist has to say.
Think for a moment about a company who lays off thousands of its employees–some that have worked at the company for 20 years. Debbie, one of these employees was the marketing manager of the company. She is laid off after giving 10 years of her professional life to the company–increasing its sales, hiring and mentoring an entire marketing area, and being at the company’s beck and call.

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Want to Know How to Design Your Life?

From my article How to Design Your Life at The Change Blog:

istock_000006913409xsmall.jpgThere are no guarantees that life will turn out the way you want… but you have a better chance of it turning out how you want if you know how to design your own life.

I like the image of an architect designing a building by first laying out the blueprints. Or a writer outlining a book starting with the table of contents. The ability to create from scratch is a powerful feeling. The house emerges from a sheet of drawings. The book takes shape from the imagination of the writer.

Can you really design your own life in much the same way the architect designs a house and the writer designs a book? 

Read the rest of How to Design Your Life.

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6 Ways to Benefit Financially in a Bad Economy

home.jpgby personal coach David Bohl

With the economy in a slump and questions of whether or not we are in a recession, many Americans are worried about their personal financial situations. The good news is that you don’t just have to sit there and take it under the chin allowing the economy to control you. There are steps that you can take and things that you can do to benefit from a bad economy.

Invest in foreclosures

The housing market has also seen the ill effects of a bad economy. Property values are decreasing, homeowners can’t afford to pay their mortgages, and for sale signs are popping up all over America. Many homes are even being foreclosed upon, so there are banks and mortgage lenders all over the country that now own property and aren’t in the real estate business. They want to sell these properties fast and as cheap as they can. You can benefit from this part of the bad economy by buying and investing in one or several foreclosed properties. You can buy a home of your own at a reduced price or you can buy homes to fix and resell or rent.

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5 Books to Read on the Quest for a Better Life

reading.jpgfrom Personal Coach David Bohl

When I was thinking about writing on this subject, I thought about how subjective this actually is. Anyone who is on the quest for a better life most likely has their bookshelves overflowing with “self-help” or “personal growth” books. And if you’re just beginning the journey on your quest for a better life, then you may be looking for someone to help you find the best books out of the thousands that shout down at you from the bookshelves in the personal growth section of your local bookstore.

You may also have gotten recommendations from friends and associates claiming, “You’ve got to read this book. It’s changed my life!” So either you said, “I’m so happy for you,” and ignored their request, or you ran to the bookstore or Amazon.com, bought the book, only to leave it languishing on your already full bookshelf. Or you read it and said, “What’s the big deal? I don’t get it.”

Therefore, choosing a reading list for you is a difficult task. The books we read are a very personal choice. We listen to recommendations, yet, what affects others may not affect us in the same way. Additionally, your quest might be to improve your physical well-being, your wealth, your relationships, your business, or your mental or emotional health. Whatever your focus is on, will ultimately determine the books that will have the greatest impact on you.

That said, the ones I have chosen are classics, so millions of people have endorsed them. Still that doesn’t mean they will change your life, but they may have some impact on you, at least to get you thinking and reading, and maybe lead you to other books that will support your quest for a better life.

So here is my list. With these 5 books, you can’t go wrong. They may become some of your top favorites as well.

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