Have we become a nation of whiners?

"We've become a nation of whiners when dealing with this economy."  Phil Gramm former U.S. Senator. The economy isn't so bad we're just emotionally unfit. For many of us, it's the first time we've faced adversity. Luxury items are still being bought just not by as many people and that is probably a good thing because people are planning and managing their money better. There is peace and power in living below our means.  Is that an emotion that we need to make stronger? What about <a>delayed gratification</a>? Isn’t this a muscle that sometimes becomes weak during good times? People have to educate themselves about what's really happening now. We are going through a transition. It's change and every generation has faced some pretty tough changes at some stage. Let’s look at the Greatest Generation. A person born in 1910 was witnessing the Great Depression by the time they were 19. When they were 32, they would have witnessed one world war and the start of another.  That's adversity. So, the Boomer generation has had it fairly easy. We've all experienced some personal pain and I'm sure you've experienced it in your family. I have in mine. But, we haven't had an experience on a cultural level to the extreme that we are starting to experience now. Even 9/11 didn’t seem to phase us for that long; we acted quickly and moved on. From the Baby Boomer generation on down, we haven't been adversly tested.  We've lived through a period where mortgages seemed to good to be true so we bought houses we couldn't afford. Times were so good few asked why or how long it would last? The question is, when challenges happen, what do you focus on? Do you focus on asking, “Why is this happening to me?”  Or, do you ask, "Is this a chance for an opportunity or personal growth? Look at people like Lance Armstrong or Michael J. Fox or Bill Bartmann and their reaction to adversity. We've also had an opportunity to be honest and open with our kids and talk to them openly about what our family is facing and others are facing so they realize money does not grow on trees? Our economy isn't so bad in comparison to two thirds of this planet which lives on $3-4 a day. We're stronger than we think and we can train ourselves to take advantage of these changing times. To adapt, to overcome, to thrive! This is neither the first time we’ll be tested nor the last, so here are 3 strategies to help you get Emotional Fit starting today: 1. Train your mind. When I was broke and starting my career trying to figure out what to do, there was no Internet. It’s funny but I’m old enough to remember those days when I would go to the library and read biographies about survivors of concentration camps or athletes like Og Mandino and learned how they got through their setbacks? I learned about their emotional fitness.  2. Take control of your body. Our body, emotions, and our minds are linked. Realize fear and depression is physical and if you can get yourself working out intensely, your blood circulating, whether it’s power-walking in the mall, lifting weights, running, you're making a positive change and lifting your mood. Hormones are being released that will give you strength and creativity. If you don’t face your fear, it’s the end; you go into hiding and begin to die. 3. Find a few role models  The world has great role models that have overcome great obstacles. And sometimes that role model is in the mirror; it’s you because youamp;rsquo;ve faced crisis before and survived, maybe even thrived. Until next time -  You Were Created to Succeed! 2009-09-25T12:02:24Z