.

    Monday, December 1, 2008

    It's Official - We Are In A Recession

    Stocks rebounded last week on news of Obama's new administration and ahead of Black Friday. I was hoping for another rally at the opening bell today, but even with better than expected sales figures from Black Friday the Dow Jones is down as is the TSX. Despite the massive rally last week - investors are still concerned about the economy, and rightly so.

    It’s official – The United States is in a recession

    Stocks plunged today, starting the month of December on a bad foot and continues to plunge this afternoon after CNN reported that the United States has been in a recession since December 2007.

    Oddly enough people are still spending money this holiday season. 

    Including "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, shoppers spent $41 billion in the four-day holiday weekend. The average shopper spent $372.57, up 7.2% from a year ago. 
     
    So what should you do if you are worried about losing your job in these bad times? 
    • Remain calm and focused - Emotions and stress only cloud your ability to see through the noise and to act objectively and responsibly. 
    • Update your resume - Make sure your resume is updated with your most recent employment and don't forget to market your SKILLS.
    • Create an inventory of all your skills - Take inventory of your daily tasks and recognize the special skills required to accomplish each task. You want to show potential employers the value you bring with your skills and experience. 
    • Create an inventory of everybody you know- The reality is everybody is looking for a job and who you know might help you land your next job. Check out www.linkedin.com
    • Budget your money - Cut down your expenses, create a weekly budget and use cash ONLY. 
    Lastly, if you already lost your job and are looking for a way to make ends meet until you find a new job, Arise might be what you are looking for. Arise is a virtual company that provides companies with customer service, technical support, and sales associates virtually. You would act as an independent contractor answering phone calls or making sales calls from the comfort of your own home. 

    Happy Holidays! 

    Bruno LoGreco Master Life Coach and Mentor 

    Share/Save/Bookmark

    Posted by Bruno LoGreco at 10:43 AM
    Labels:

    7 comments:

    Mona said...

    wow, really $372.57 per person average in the US? hmm...then that means someone spend $745.14 since i didn't buy anything...hehehehe

    December 1, 2008 at 4:11 PM
    Sue said...

    Geez. If you only knew how very little I'm going to spend this year. Very little. Little little. Good things the kids have grandparents.

    December 1, 2008 at 4:31 PM
    Anonymous said...

    Hey Bruno

    The company where I work is making quite a point of the fact that there will be decreased business in 2009. I somehow get the feeling that they are prepping us for retrenchments.

    Recently my boss asked me what my ideal job description would be (there is a story behind that), but I have been wondering if this is my chance for suggesting something that:
    a. I may enjoy more
    b. Is less likely to invite retrenchment.
    Ponderings, ponderings...

    Juliet

    December 2, 2008 at 12:43 AM
    San said...

    Practical tips, Bruno.

    Our own business was down at the gallery this past weekend. Although not that many Black Friday shoppers are out to buy art, we always have a boomlet of tourism during those few days, and our location is tourism-fueled. The travelers were fewer, but we did write business and that's good. And we are grateful that the previous months have been stronger than usual. It is so important to face the challenges but with a can-do attitude.

    December 2, 2008 at 3:13 PM
    One Time said...

    Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view), this means things will get busier for me!

    December 3, 2008 at 12:16 AM
    Bruno LoGreco said...

    True enough mona - I know of another person that did not spend a penny on 'Black Friday' :)

    Grandparents are great - I too won't be spending much money this year sue.

    Times are tough Juliet, I would like to say don't worry about what you are hearing at work but maybe its a good time to get yourself ready for the retrenchment just in case it does happen. Stay tuned for tips and tricks on how to start a business or make extra cash during these bad times.

    San - Your attitude shines and can be seen from a mile a way. :)

    December 3, 2008 at 8:11 AM
    Anonymous said...

    Hi Bruno, I checked out the "Arise" site but unfortunately its only for americans, you need a stste and zip to complete a profile...unless I goofed, if you would be so kind as to check that out for me I would appreciate it.

    thank you again for your wisdom and wealth of knowledge...as you said...knowledge is power! :)
    Alex

    December 6, 2008 at 11:01 PM

    Post a Comment

    Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

    Ten Powerful Self-Coaching Tips

    By Bruno LoGreco

    Are you living the life of creativity and happiness that you've always dreamed of, or are you allowing your fears or other outside factors to influence you?

    Following the path that your heart's desires requires courage and might require a shift in attitude. There are several methods you can use to act as your own life coach and start working toward the life you dream of.

    Ideas for self-improvement

    You don't need to change every aspect of your life at once in order to improve your attitude and outlook on life. Self-improvement can feel daunting if you try to change everything at once.

    A good way to embark on your journey of self-coaching is to make one change and see what kind of impact it has upon your life. The following tips are designed to help you improve your life and become your own life coach. Try out one of the following tips at a time to positively impact your attitude and daily life.

    1. Find some ‘you' time. Everyone needs time alone to meditate and recharge. You may think you don't have extra time in your day. Start with 10-20 minutes to use for meditation or silent reflection.

    2. Ask yourself what you truly want in life. Are you living your life according to your true dreams and desires? You may be unaware of your desires that lie hidden beneath your surface needs and wants, so take the time to find out.

    3. Write everything down. Even if your thought seems silly, write it down! You may be surprised by the inspiration and ideas you can come up with.

    4. Journal daily, but with a twist. Instead of just writing about today, try writing about yesterday.

    5. Keep track of the "happy moments." Each day has potential for many small moments that bring joy and happiness. If you don't make a special note of them, you may not even recognize the small joys in your day.

    6. Choose one task each night to complete the next day. This way, you have focus, and you accomplish at least one task. Tasking and taxing yourself with effort is important in reaching goals.

    7. Smile when you wake up. Smiling is contagious. By smiling you improve your mood and can potentially improve someone else's day as well.

    8. Give thanks each night. Gratitude will improve your outlook on life and help you see all the good and wonderful moments of your day.

    9. Try something new. A new experience fuels creativity and your enjoyment of the day.

    10. Create at least one memorable moment each day. Make each day unforgettable, even if in a small way!

    Taking the next step with a life coach

    Self-coaching tips are great ideas for helping you improve your life. However, you can take your life to the next level with a life coach and mentor. A professional life coach can help you set goals and help you move forward with your dreams. If you're looking for the right path toward happiness, a life coach can help you discover the path your heart truly desires.

    Want to learn more about self-improvement? Bruno LoGreco is a Life Coach Toronto and mentor. Visit BrunoLoGreco.com and find out how to unleash your potential for success and happiness.

    The Success Indicators on Your Life Path

    Many people seek out a particular goal in their life path and are content when they achieve it. The chance to broaden their horizons or learn new things within an existent structure is not as appealing to them as it is to some others. This is an issue that arises in many individuals because they mistakenly think they have achieved what they wanted to in their lives. The plethora of environmental noise around them begins to infringe upon their goals and forces them to lose sight of what they truly wanted.

    A good way to think of this problem is to envision a large square box. This is not just any box though. Rather, in this case, your box has been divided into three separate, but equally shaped rectangular boxes, all stacked on top of one another. Each of these rectangular boxes is a highly important expression of your life goals -- individual levels of success. Within each of these levels of success is an indicator that tells you how close you are to becoming successful in this area of your life.

    Every area of your life that you identify as a potential path for success can be further divided, containing the many different events and obstacles you will encounter as you strive to reach your goals. Think of each sector of your life as being divided even further, with three new sections within one of the three stacked boxes (sectors). Within each stacked box are three separate sections, divided by dotted lines that make up the life path you will follow. These dotted lines are not the same as the solid lines dividing the sectors -- they are a path that you have envisioned since childhood -- a series of goals and pathways to success that you want to follow.

    As young people, these life paths may not be fully formed. Or they might be crystal clear in our minds--long, straight life paths from the early days of college and adult living to the ultimate goal of success that you have always strived for. You can see exactly what you need to do to reach each success indicator and achieve what you have set out to accomplish. And you probably did just this. After all, your goals as a youth were to be successful in the same way that you saw thousands of others live their lives. You wanted to reach your success indicators and experience the measure of success by which you would measure you life for decades to come.

    However, nothing is ever as simple as we envision it during youth. There are countless factors that interfere with your ability to clearly see those success indicators and life paths to success. These factors, or "Environmental Noise," can be detrimental to even the most focused of individuals. Think of what would happen if you dumped the contents of downtown New York into your box and tried to maintain your focus on those goals. Would you even be able to see your life path anymore?

    Everyone must travel their life path with environmental noise inundating them from all sides. It begins to become cloudy. The dotted lines, our life paths, begin to look like the straight lines and the success indicators start to be confused with any number of different distractions.

    And then something will happen and you will realize that you are in fact nowhere near the original success indicators you set for yourself. Everything has changed and yet you are stuck in a way. You are deep within the center of the middle rectangular box and you have no idea which way to go or how to get back on track. The noise only grows louder and you grow dizzy trying to regain your focus.

    It is in this instant that you must clear the noise and return to the basic, almost instinctive mode of thought you experienced as a child. What did you want from life? Where did you want to go? What do you need to get to that point? What was my life path? All of these questions must be asked without the distractions of the world around you muddying up your thought process. When you can revert to a very simple perspective of the world and only spend time thinking of what you want from life, you can be that much more successful.

    You can succeed in life despite the environmental noise, cruising down your life paths and moving through your rectangles with ease, but oftentimes you need a helping hand to clear away the noise and look at life with fresh eyes. There is nothing wrong with asking for help to weed out these distractions and remove the clutter from your life sectors with a professional life coach.

    Is your life path inundated with environmental noise? Learn how you can lift the noise and begin reestablishing your success indicators today. Visit www.brunologreco.com a Life Coach Toronto today.

    Chapters.ca

    One Stop Green Shop -Save up to 34%!

    Top 10 Benefits to Journaling

    By Bruno Logreco

    There are countless reasons to maintaining a journal. The top ten benefits of journaling may differ from person to person. However, there seems to be general themes that are attractive in the collective unconscious. Many people are looking to daily entries of their personal experiences to reap some of the following rewards.

    Maintaining a journal is a natural way to exercise the brain. People who make regular entries are taking time to develop writing and communication skills that are very valuable in everyday interactions. This mental exercise also helps to allow your thoughts to flow freely.

    Creativity is a second benefit to consider. This is an important aspect of journaling. The right hemisphere of the brain is associated with visual, imaginative and intuitive facets of thought. When you take time to write, you free the right hemisphere. The ideal entry will be one that puts the inner editor on hold. Thoughts and ideas should flow freely and naturally.

    The uninhibited nature of this form of writing serves a third benefit of developing self awareness. People often create different faces to meet various circumstances. We tend to recreate in distinct situations including the work environment, the community and even when at home.

    The process of keeping a journal helps you recognize the various aspects of your unique personality. The growing self awareness is a powerful force that can lead to even greater benefits in the future. Gaining insight into the self is among the most important aspects to maintaining a journal.

    The fourth benefit is the ability to set priorities. Once you get a grasp on the thoughts and emotions that are filtered through your personal experience, you begin to gain control of them. The process eventually leads to a greater understanding of what is and what is not important.

    The ability to re-see the past is another great benefit of keeping a journal. The pages can be revisited with a fresh perspective. It can be very surprising how much your understanding of an event changes over a relatively short period of time. Some writers find great moments of epiphany when rethinking and rereading entries.

    Journaling is a fantastic problem-solving resource. The approach of using entries to come up with various solutions to troubles is a little different than approaches for self awareness and growth. Many people choose temporary brainstorming techniques that serve to give viable solutions to problems.

    The seventh benefit of journaling is variety. You can choose what kind of entries you want to make. Common choices include brainstorming sessions, automatic writing and reflective notes. Personal journal entries can be made upon inspiration, when you first wake or right before you fall asleep. Some choose to do a combination of these.

    Purging is the eighth benefit to this practice. Many people find it helpful to place negative thoughts and feelings down on paper. Once the negative energy is placed on the page, they are free to let it go. This practice also works well when dealing with anger towards another individual. Purge the negativity and work towards a constructive approach.

    The ability to communicate with others is another benefit of keeping a journal. Those who work with life coaches can find a wealth of resources for sessions. Journaling can help you tap into your fears and dreams, helping your coach gain insight through entries that you choose to share.

    The tenth benefit is improvement in your overall health. Journaling reduces stress. It provides time for you to meditate. The process helps to make the positive forces in your life surface and it helps to bring the harmful elements into light. The result of personal journaling is a new perspective on how you can take control of many aspects of your life.

    Want to learn how online journaling can help you reach goals and problem solve? Learn more about life coach Toronto at brunologreco.com and journaling at iijournal.

    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruno_Logreco
    http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-10-Benefits-to-Journaling&id=1000303