The Muscle Couple is dealing with the “economic slowdown” just like everybody else.  Times are tougher these days as fear and paranoia are widespread.   Because of job layoffs, a drastic reduction in consumerism and the continual home value slide, many businesses and individuals are struggling.  As bad as it might seem for many of us right now, we must persevere and calculate ways to deal with our current conditions.

“Hope for a better tomorrow” is not a strategy to tackle the adversity you might be faced with today.  Sit down with your spouse and your children or your roomate and discuss ways you can reduce your monthly outlays.  Figure out a plan to budget within your current means no matter how solid or meagher they might be.

The Muscle Couple’s favorite quotation (hard to attribute it to any one person historically)is “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. I don’t know of any quotation more relevant in times like these.

If you are psychologically overwhelmed for any reason, sequester yourself where you can be free to think with just a pen and a notepad.   Write down what you want to achieve over the next 72 hours.  And then formulate a plan on how to accomplish those goals.   Visualize where you want to go from that achievement and your mind will be free to move in multiple directions away from the feelings of negativity or hopelessness you might have previously held. New paths will be revealed when you least suspect.  But you have to initiate a basic plan of action before they do.

We are all capable of amazing things when we first focus on achieving the little things first.  Employ this “72 Hour Strategy”  whenever you have feelings of despair or when it appears your world is falling apart.  I’m confident you’ll be glad you did.

We wish everyone the best in these unsettling times.

MIHWCS!