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This week and last, I have encouraged you to examine the way you look at the world, and make some decisions about how you want to be.  So, let's continue the discussion with a little goal-setting to see us through uncertain times.

If you have decided that your locus of control comes from within you (which I hope you have), then you know you have the power to change your life. You do not need to be battered by the "storm" of bad news coming your way.

If you have decided that you want to believe the future is one… >>>

We've talked a lot about mindsets, attitudes and beliefs these past few days, and I am hopeful that you have been able to draw connections to how you are viewing the continuing stream of economic news as well as how you view your current financial situation. There is another piece I'd like to address today: personal accountability.

The last couple of years saw many of the financial institutions we thought of as being "solid" and "well-managed" collapsing under the weight of some less-than-effective decision making. A lot of people lost a lot of money, and saw their retirement nest eggs… >>>

Whether you know of him or not, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the research into optimism and pessimism made by Dr. Martin Seligman, from the University of Pennsylvania. A past president of the American Psychological Association, Marty is the author of numerous books on the subjects of optimism and pessimism and how they affect the way we look at our world.

How do you find out if you are an optimist or pessimist? Ask yourself the question: How do I think when bad things happen to me?  A pessimist lets the bad thing contaminate everything in their… >>>

Do you look at the future with hope and a belief that no matter what comes your way, you will succeed?  Or, do you look at the future as hopeless, and there's nothing that can be done to change it? What you believe has a lot to do with how well you weather the challenges in life.

Continuing on with our conversation thread from yesterday, let's talk about how our beliefs affect what happens to us. A couple of things to keep in mind:  1) As human beings, we move toward and become like what we think about; and 2)… >>>

The economic news of the last couple of years has been quite the challenge for a lot of people, all over the world. Let's spend some time talking about these challenges and what we can do, as individuals and communities.

One of the traps we, as human beings, can get caught in is looking at our economic and financial situations as happening "to" us. We see things from an external perspective, and believe we are powerless to do anything. If you can visualize a leaf traveling at the mercy of the wind, you get a pretty good picture of someone… >>>

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were good ones.  Let's jump right into it with the first subject of the new year.  How important are your relationships to you? Does your behavior support your answer?

You know, most of us spend most of our lives living with other people or otherwise involved in close relationships. But have you ever had any formal schooling in relationships or even thought much about how they work? Most people would say not. 

And most people, when you ask them if they feel happy and fulfilled in their present relationships, will give you wishy-washy… >>>

When you find yourself navigating your way through a crisis, what can you do to come out on the other side, stronger for the experience? 

Every crisis involves risk. By definition, a crisis is fraught with danger, but also an opportunity for tremendous learning and growth. Crisis is a time of testing, but it's also a time of renewal. Many people, when faced with a crisis, tell themselves that they have failed and convince themselves that there's no point in trying any longer. 

For example, if a young woman tries to become a professional singer and fails, it doesn't mean… >>>

When you're taking family pictures, you want to have a clear, sharp focus. Today, let's talk about the importance of focusing in everyday life. 

Most of us live in a culture that presents us with a bewildering array of options. The confusion of too many options will largely disappear once you know how to focus. In this sense, focusing means concentrating all your attention on one particular thing, much as we do with a camera, bringing it into sharp relief to clarify your relationship with it. 

When we concentrate our attention on a particular endeavor, problem or person, we bring… >>>

If I were to say to you, "Old people are...." and then ask you to finish the sentence, how would you fill in the blank? Think about it for a moment. 

"Old people are...." What? Fragile? Senile? At death's door? What do you believe about old people? What if I said, "Old people are bright, energetic, active and interesting"?

You see, it's really impossible to generalize about so-called old people, any more than we can safely generalize about teenagers or 50-year-olds. 

Does aging have to mean a loss of significance? Do our older selves matter less than our younger selves?… >>>

Most people have heard of the captain of a ship or the captain of a team. But have you ever heard of Captain of the World? Have you ever worked for someone or lived with someone who acted like the Captain of the World? Maybe you, yourself, are holding down that job right now. 

If you are the Captain of the World, you are very big on rules and on maintaining your particular brand of order. Words like "should," "have to," "ought to," and "must," show up often in your speech. For instance, on your way home tonight or in… >>>