The economic news of the last couple of years has been quite the challenge for a lot of people, all over the world. Let's spend some time talking about these challenges and what we can do, as individuals and communities.
 
One of the traps we, as human beings, can get caught in is looking at our economic and financial situations as happening "to" us. We see things from an external perspective, and believe we are powerless to do anything. If you can visualize a leaf traveling at the mercy of the wind, you get a pretty good picture of someone who sees life happening "to" them. This is an external "locus of control" and puts us in the mindset of a victim.
 
Now, what would happen if we changed our perspective to one of an internal locus of control? What if we asked ourselves the question, "What can I do 'for' me?" How does that change the way we look at ourselves and our abilities?
 
Well, for one thing, we take back control of our lives and our decisions. It's like adding a rudder and a motor to that leaf blowing in the wind, and plotting our own course through the breeze. We give ourselves the power to determine the direction in which we travel through challenges. You are only a victim if you allow yourself to be a victim.
 
The various forms of media are having a field-day painting "the public" as victims of the economic downturn or the "fiscal cliff." But keep in mind that "disaster" headlines are meant to sell papers and magazines to keep advertising dollars. Televised media is not just reporting the news, but sometimes making the news in order to get ratings and advertising dollars.
 
In these uncertain economic times, it is easy to fall prey to the "bad news" constantly being reported in the media. If you are wise, and we all have access to untapped wisdom stored in our minds, you will be a skeptical listener and reader, and take charge of your own decisions about your future.