I survived not having video games or 500 satellite channels or Facebook because I had real friends.  I rode my bike over to their homes and asked if they could come out and play.  Imagine that—me out there in the cold, cruel world without a parent, playing with my friends in real time.  How did I do it?

I guess I just survived a lot in my lifetime.  Didn’t you?  I guess we must have had some help along the way from Someone who loved and protected us.

You’re not alone in the world.  You’re not by yourself so enjoy making a positive life, not just a living today.

So here we are in bed, fast asleep, when this thunderstorm rolls in.  Well, what must have been a huge lightning bolt strikes nearby and then this gigantic clap of thunder roars, causing both of us to jump out of bed.

The next thing I remember is thunder reverberating off that mountain, echoing for several seconds.  Then it occurred to me that the thunderclap
probably wasn’t really all that big, that the mountain caused it to echo and seem larger than it was.

Some time today, you may have a storm move in on you that you don’t see, and it may flash and thunder in huge ways.  But just remember—that mountain of a problem makes it all seem bigger than it really is.  So relax, calm down, and listen to life so you can make a positive life, not just a living.

Over the next several days, I was in bed or in my recliner, hanging on for dear life, wishing the room would stop spinning.  As the rotation slowed, I moved around some.

That’s when I thought, “This is like trying to do business today. Just when you think you have figured it out, everything moves and you’re off balance again.”

Here are 3 strategies that benefited me in the dizziness that will help you Work Positive in this Vertigo Economy.

Focus

When everything around you is spinning violently out of control, you must focus.

Walking was an adventure because the floor kept moving, i.e., my field of vision did. So I focused on a spot on the carpet, or the grain in the hardwood, and moved forward.

What do you focus on in your business? If you focus on the latest “expert analysis,” or new government effort to “help small businesses,” or presidential candidates’ spin on job creation, your P&L will sink.

Instead, identify a constant source of strength in your business. Perhaps you and your customers have great relationships. Maybe you deliver the best price points in your market. Or, it could be your business survived previous vertigo economies. Tell yourself the stories of how you focused.

Move your business forward by focusing on a positive strength despite the Vertigo Economy. Ignore the rest so you Work Positive.

Stabilize

When it felt like the room was spinning, I moved forward by leaning on the wall or grabbing a chair until I stabilized and could take another step. At times, my wife or daughter kept me from falling.

When the economy puts pressure on your business to change rapidly, your practices destabilize very quickly. You’re not sure how to continue to create a profit. It’s easy to isolate yourself and imagine that you can stabilize revenue and costs alone. Think again…

When the Vertigo Economy assaults us, we must lean on each other. Find a business coach who understands you and your business, who is trustworthy and wise, and lean. Who was your mentor when you first started in business? Call and get some support. If you’re a franchisee, email your DM or RM and discover what’s working for others.

We are all experiencing the Vertigo Economy. Lean on and learn from the ones around you.

Pace

I’m an energetic, physically-fit, go-get-‘em person. When vertigo struck, I slowed down, literally to a crawl to the bathroom.

In the Vertigo Economy, you adjust your pace. Your plans for expansion slow down due to the tight credit market. That next employee you wanted to add is put on-hold for another quarter to insure cash flow stabilizes. You roll up your sleeves and do some activities you’ve moved away from.

In the Vertigo Economy, it’s prudent to slow your pace. Give yourself more time to reach your goals. As a client of mine says, “Slow is pro” when you’re dizzy.

This business race is a marathon; much longer than a sprint. Pace yourself accordingly.

This Vertigo Economy will pass just as my illness did. Until it does, Work Positive as you focus on your strengths, stabilize your
practices, and pace yourself.

“At first that seemed like a lot,” he said.  “I’d fill up a gallon pitcher and look at it and think, ‘I can never drink all of that.’”

“So how do you do it?” I asked.

He said, “I poured it into 24 or 32 oz. bottles.  I can drink a bottle of water one at a time and pretty soon, the entire gallon is gone.”

I thought about that…a lot.  There are some things I do that when I look at them for the first time, I think to myself, “There’s no way I can do
that.”  But then, I break the huge goal down into smaller tasks; more manageable activities, and pretty soon, like my friend, I’ve done it.

Today, when you’re looking at a mountain of a job, or feeling overwhelmed by too much to do, just take a breath, and break it down into smaller tasks.
Then just do them one by one.  Success brings confidence which brings you more success.  Live positive.  Work positive as you listen to life today.

And so the snail fastens itself to the inside of the jellyfish, and in a cruel twist of fate, slowly begins to eat the jellyfish.  When the snail reaches maturity, it’s consumed the entire jellyfish.  The eater becomes the eaten.

So what’s eating you?  What have you swallowed lately?

Eaten any snails like hate or jealousy?  Pride or selfishness?  Apathy or greed?  Gossip or rumor?

These snails attach to your spirit and slowly eat you…if you let them.

But life doesn’t have to be this way.  You can avoid those negative snails by filtering them out and focusing on the positive.

So be careful what eats you.  And before you eat, filter them out as you listen to life and make a positive life.

As we walked up to the entrance, she pulled her hand out of mine and ran over to some flowers.  She squatted down, and stuck her nose down
into them.  “Mmmmm,” she said, and then turned around to me and said, “Daddy, stop.  Smell.”

Now as I said I was in a big hurry.  But I walked over to where she crouched and took a big whiff.  And what a whiff it was!

You see, those flowers were the same kind my grandmother planted in her garden.  All of a sudden, I was a kid again in my mind, picking up our baseball out of Grandma’s flower garden; a time in my life when I only hurried around the bases.  In that moment, I stopped and smelled the flowers…and listened to life. I slowed down and enjoyed a positive life.

Will you do the same today? Stop and smell the flowers as you listen to life and make a positive life, not just a living today.

When he walked in, a lamp had been knocked over, the TV was on, and the family room had toys and clothes everywhere.  Dishes filled the kitchen sink, dog food was on the floor, and a broken glass was under the table.

He ran upstairs looking for his wife.  He was worried that something serious had happened.  He found her in the bed in her pajamas, reading.  She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.  He looked at her and asked, “What happened here today?”  She just smiled and said, “You know every day when you come home from work and ask me what in the world I did today?

Well, today I didn’t do it.”

Thank your mother this weekend for everything she has ever done for you?

Do it now as you make a positive life in a negative world today.

…when what to my wandering eyes should appear but my wife, smiling, pushing her buggy right toward me, staring at my bag.

Now understand that I had called her earlier to see if she had any plans to go shopping.  She had none.  So I thought I was safe.

But I wasn’t.  I was caught doing something good.

But I guess that’s a lot better than being caught doing something else.

Get caught doing something good for someone else as you listen to life today and make a positive life.

Or, “How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?  Move up closer.”

Or, “Sure, sweetheart, bring home any dog you want to and I’ll be more than happy to take care of him for you.”

Would your mother ever say something like, “Well, if Laura’s mother said it’s okay by her, then of course you can go.  That’s good enough for me!”

Or, “You know, curfew is just kind of a guideline, a target time to shoot for.  Don’t get too hung up on it.  This is a home, not a prison.”

Or, “Look, how many times do I have to tell you?  When you don’t have a tissue, just use your sleeve.”

There are some things you can’t imagine your mother saying.  For everything else she said, that you now appreciate, show her some love
today.

“Don’t worry, honey,” I told her, “I’ll take care of your stuff and mine.”

Little did I know what I was in for.

You see, she runs the horse farm we live on which means that she’s constantly caring for the horses.  And she cooks most all of our meals.  And she takes care of our daughter’s needs like helping fix hair and choosing which outfits to wear.  Then there’s the grocery shopping, the housecleaning, and…well, you get the picture.

So here I was trying to take care of my stuff and her stuff.  I knew I was in over my head after the first day.

Well, she got better quickly and thank God was able to do most of her stuff.  And me?  I got better, too, and with a much greater appreciation for what she does to make my life so wonderful.

Do you appreciate what the people around you do?  Discover what they do and then thank them for doing it—today—as you make a positive life.