HOW TO SOLVE OR IMPROVE ANY PROBLEMS OR SITUATIONS Sometimes it seems that we face problems that are insurmountable. It's especially true during times of economic distress, periods like now, where unemployment is high, investments appear shaky, housing is distressed and the future looks bleak. What I want to give everyone in this article is a set of problem-solving principles, rules of the mind that will achieve the best outcome possible under any situation. They are not new, I didn't make them up, they've been around for ages. You'll find them in the writings of great and classic motivational works from the likes of Napoleon Hill, Rev Norman Vincent Peale, Zig Ziglar, Anthony Robbin, Brian Tracy and many others. It's even in the Bible if you look carefully enough. In more recent history it was applied by our POW's in Vietnam as told to me by Captain Gerald Coffey (Former naval aviator and POW in the Hanoi Hilton for five years.) Consider these four principles, apply them in your life, they will work and they are especially effective in times of economic hardship. 1. Perception is reality. The way we see the world, our place in it, and our perceived abilities, dictates the way we react in certain situations. If we believe that there is nothing we can do to improve our condition, and that we are doomed to misery, then indeed, that is what will happen. Our perception becomes reality becoming the classic self-fulfilling prophesy. On the other hand, if we adopt the perception that we can find and take the right actions to improve our lot, then our mind will lead us to the necessary actions. Our perception becomes reality. So the first step in problem-solving is adopting the right perception: Yes, I can fix this, my economic situation will improve because I will find the way...perception becomes reality. 2. Take responsibility. We live in a society where it seems people should have no responsibility. Huge warning labels tell us not to use our hair driers in the shower, not to drink drain cleaner, to remove walnuts from shell before eating them, that coffee is hot (All true, look at the sign at McDonalds about coffee) as if we bear no responsibility for common sense actions. The problem with this kind of thinking is that once we give up responsibility, we abdicate our power to make positive changes, because after all, if it's not your responsibility, then there's nothing you can do, thereby leaving your fate in the hands of others...like the government. How's that usually work out? So grab responsibility for your fate, no one else has more at stake. 3. Take action. One of the best sellers last year was a book called The Secret. The premise of this book is that if you pray, wish, ask the universe for help, then it will surely come. Perhaps - or maybe not - certainly far from always. But if you take action, you're much more likely to get results than if you just wish or pray. So by all means, wish and pray, but take action, and who knows, maybe the good results you get are simply God's answer to your prayers. 4. Adopt American Zen. Zen is a complex Oriental discipline whose main trust is the acceptance of the universe. But as Americans we want fast results, so here's the main thrust of what I call American Zen: Say you've lost your job and you're searching for employment, a common enough practice in this economy. You've spent the day searching, making contacts, setting up appointments and now it's five PM, there's nothing else you can do today. Yet the situation weighs on your mind so you yell at your family, stay cranky, get a bad night's sleep, wake up tired the next day thereby winding down your chances of success. Instead, just clear your mind, accept the situation as it is with the pure understanding that there's nothing else that can be done at the moment. So quit worrying, enjoy your family and start fresh the next day. I know, that's easy to say, but it's necessary to success, so read more about it, figure out how to do it and practice American Zen. Look, I know these situations are difficult, that's why they're called problems. But I guaranty you that if you adopt these four steps, make them your own, you've gone a long way toward a solution. As my old friend Mister Goldman from Brooklyn used to say, "It wouldn't hurt." And remember the line from a sixties song by the Mama and the Papas (remember them?) -The darkest hour is just before dawn.