A Shift of Focus

Looking at the world economy:   Stock markets are experiencing downward trends. The cost of oil skyrocketed causing higher prices of gasoline and consumer goods. The Federal Reserve is keeping inflation under control by inching interest rates cautiously upward without slowing economic growth. Unemployment numbers have fallen, although they remain relatively high across the globe.

It is a period of change with indications of economic scarcity, not abundance.

It's very easy to buy into the numbers and feel that we're about to experience hard economic times. But what would it be like to shift your focus and concentrate on economic abundance?

I experienced this during my career in banking. There were years when my company recorded great profits. We expanded - budgets were increased to hire more staff, and more money was devoted to information technology and research. When the winds changed, there was typically a hiring freeze, budgets were scrutinized and only projects highest on the priority list went forward.   Oddly, it was during this time that I felt abundance.

When the belt was tight, we shifted our focus to all of the resources we had - not on what we didn't have. The thinking changed to what we could accomplish with our current staff and structure. Many great innovations evolved - improvement of workflows, internal system developments and the elimination of unnecessary costs. Instead of stagnating due to fewer resources, it was a time of possibility thinking. This always led to more profitable results.