Our water supply is going down the drain.

Money is tight. Credit has dried up. Don’t try to get a loan now.

Job losses are permanent. Many of them will never come back.

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These are a sampling of some headlines we found while researching this post. Scarcity is in the news. It smacks us in the face every time we turn around.

Here’s our take on it: opportunity is everywhere. There's never been a better time to find yours.

Do you doubt it?

Then it won't happen for you. When you don't believe you can change your position in the world, you can't.

When you do believe it, you're one step closer to making it happen.

Yes, we're blasted daily with stories about financial trouble. But we have to overcome stinkin' thinkin’ because we're fortunate to live in a time when there is so much opportunity.

Yes, you heard that correctly. Right now, there is so much opportunity!

And here's the best news of all … the opportunities of today and tomorrow don't require a lot of money to create a lot more money.

They do require you to think abundantly. So we thought we’d do our part by doing a series of posts – five in all – on finding abundance. Here’s the first step:

Start creating a fortune by feeling fortunate.

• We tend to focus on what we don't have.

• We beat ourselves up because we haven't accomplished everything we planned to.

• We experience regret, anger and depression because of our lot in life.

• We compare ourselves to others and get upset because they seem to be living better than we are. We think they’re the fortunate ones.

We’re wrong.

We are the fortunate ones. So we must be different. We must feel fortunate.

• Start every day by focusing on what you do have.

• Be thankful for the wonderful people in your life.

• Congratulate yourself for how far you've already come.

• Feel excited about the opportunities, and yes, even the challenges, that you have before you.

You'll find that after a couple weeks of this daily session you'll feel fortunate – the beginning of living abundantly.

When you feel fortunate, you’ll find your fortune, however you define it. That’s bigg success!

For what do you feel fortunate?
Share that with us by leaving a comment, sending an e-mail to bigginfo@biggsuccess.com or leaving a voice message at 888.455.BIGG (2444).

We’re abundantly thankful that you read our post today! 

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Please join us next time when we’ll take the second step to living abundantly. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00504-101509.mp3

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Take some time for yourself

As we said last time, you will most likely go through a grieving process. Accept it. It’s okay to be a little selfish for a couple of days. Get outside if the weather will permit. Enjoy nature. Go for some walks. Take a drive. Read that book you never had time for. Workout.

Reconnect with yourself. There is really important right now.

Reach out to the right people

Some people have a tendency to broadcast their woes. They think it makes people sympathetic. Unfortunately, it often creates a bad image in the minds of the people who are reading it or hearing it.

But it’s important not to bottle up your feelings. So reach out to a family member, a close friend, or a trusted advisor. Talk with them about your feelings. Go ahead, get it out – vent!

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Sign up for unemployment insurance

This is the one thing to put on your to-do list as soon as possible. It usually takes a couple of weeks for benefits to kick in so the sooner you do this, the better.

You may want to have federal taxes withheld so you don’t get bit at tax time. However, if you know you have the discipline to set the money aside yourself, then you might as well earn a little interest on that money. But if you aren’t absolutely certain, it’s better to just have the money withheld.

The Department of Labor is a great place to get information on unemployment insurance. If you don’t know where your state office is, you can find it there as well.

The right frame of mind

The bottom line is to give yourself a little time to unwind. If your financial situation isn’t dire, you don’t have to begin your search for a new job just yet. It’s more important to get yourself in the right frame of mind.

Next in this series, we’ll discuss getting to work on getting back to work. Thanks so much for reading our post today. Until next time, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00329-021209.mp3

Related posts

I Just Got Laid Off – Part 1

I Just Got Laid Off – Part 3

The Greatest Miracle In The World

What Makes a Hero a Hero?

Coping With Life Change

(Image in today's post by Hisks)

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Getting laid off is one of the most stressful events anyone goes through. So before we get into details, take a deep breath. You can expect to feel a whole range of emotions, even if you weren’t completely surprised. It’s a grieving process. Psychologists have identified five stages that we go through when we lose something or someone:

• Denial
• Anger
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance

These stages don’t necessarily happen in sequence. You may feel more than one at the same time. You may jump around. You will feel it how you feel it. What’s important is to understand what’s going on within you. It’s only natural.

Your job may have been taken from you, but your talents haven’t been

Your unique skills are still yours. You still have that great personality. You’re still an incredible person. And you know it!

With that mindset, and knowing that you will bounce back, here are some things to do, and things not to do, before you leave the building today.

Don’t burn bridges

Life is funny. Things change quickly. If you show class, it will be remembered. So filter what you say.

There may be a temptation to lash out. Resist that urge, because nothing good can come from it. Sure, you may feel better at the moment, but that feeling will quickly fade into regret. It’s much better to conduct yourself very professionally.

COBRA

You will have to decide whether or not to extend your health insurance with the company. But you have 60 days to make this decision so don’t make it today. Talk to two or three insurance brokers who sell individual insurance. In almost all cases, you will find that you can get similar coverage for less money.

If you have one or more pre-existing conditions, it might make sense to sign up through COBRA. But first, check out comparable policies with several insurance brokers and get their advice.

Your 401(k)

Here’s another decision you don’t have to make today. In fact, there really isn’t much of a time limit on making this decision. A lot of people still have money in an account through an employer they haven’t worked for in seven years!

Resist the urge to cash out. You may feel stressed about money. We’ll talk about that more in an upcoming show. The Wall Street Journal reported that 40% of workers in their 20s and 30s cashed out their 401(k) when they changed jobs. As we discussed this on a previous Bigg Success Show, this may be a costly decision.

Before you decide what to do with your 401(k), you’ll want to investigate your options. Find a plan that offers the right combination of options and low fees. One thing you should find out, when the subject of your 401(k) comes up, is if there are any exit fees. This will be useful in your decision making process.

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Your final paycheck

If you get your final check today, be sure to verify everything. For example:

• Were you paid the correct amount for the time you’ve worked since your last check?

• Did you get the severance pay that you should have?
• Were you paid for the vacation days you haven’t used?
• Is everything in accordance with your agreement with your employer?

Other issues

You may be asked to sign releases and other documents. You don’t have to sign anything right away. Read the documents carefully. If you don’t understand something, ask. If you’re not satisfied with the answer, seek professional guidance from an attorney if need be.

Reach out

Finally, if you can muster the emotional strength, reach out to the people you worked with. Make sure you have their contact information. You never know when it might come in handy.

Thanks for reading our post today. We hope you’ll check in again tomorrow. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00324-020509.mp3

Related posts

I Just Got Laid Off – Part 2

I Just Got Laid Off – Part 3

The Greatest Miracle In The World

What Makes a Hero a Hero?

Coping With Life Change

(Image in today's post by hisks)

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___http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tm_objectid=16614147&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=why-23-january-is-unhappiest-day-of-t

He devised a formula to find out when people are unhappiest. It’s based on many factors – the weather this time of the year in many parts of the developed world, Christmas bills coming in as we try to figure out how to pay them, our New Year’s resolutions starting to fall by the wayside, and more.

It’s been reported that fewer people went into debt this Christmas compared to prior years. So maybe it won’t be so bad this year. On the other hand, we get blasted daily with reports of layoffs, store closings and other bad news. Many people are feeling like they’re not in control of their own lives. So this may be a particularly blue Blue Monday.

Rock bottom up!
We can see the glass as half empty or half full. We could just sit around feeling sorry for ourselves. Or we could look at it this way – if today really is the most depressing day of the year, then it can only be better for the rest of the year!

It reminds us of J.K. Rowling’s address to last year’s Harvard graduates. She said that, before her success with Harry Potter, she reached rock bottom. She found it very liberating because she knew she had nowhere to go but up.

Dreamin’ and schemin’

That’s what we call our formula for getting over the blues. It works for just about any situation that you’re unhappy about. So use this to get back on track with that New Year’s resolution, for financial problems, and just about anything else. Well, it won’t help with the weather!

Step 1: Allow yourself to mentally escape. For just a little bit, stop thinking about where you are. Instead think about where you want to be. Picture it as clearly as you can. Then write it down.

This has helped us innumerable times. By focusing on where we want to be for a short time, our motivation returns. We find we have new energy to return to the problem that got us down in the first place. Now we have the strength to return to the present and move to the next step.

Step 2: Schedule your steps. With your written description from your mental escape in Step 1 in front of you, think about your current situation. What will it take to get from where you are to where you want to be? Write down every step that you will need to take, focusing of course only on things you can control.

Step 3: Take the first step. This is really the most important step. Taking even the smallest step helps you lose that feeling of powerlessness. It gives you a reason to pat yourself on the back. It gets positive energy flowing to solve your problem instead of being frozen by it.

This is something that helps us get over the blues. What works for you?

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Oh, and if you’re feeling down today, hang in there. Dr. Arnall has also calculated the happiest day of the year. That happens in June!

Thanks so much for reading our post today.

Tomorrow, we’re inaugurating a new President here in the United States. He’ll swear that he will “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.” Join us next time when we ask, “Does your organization need a Constitution?”

Until then, here’s to your bigg success!  

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00311-011909.mp3

Related posts

In A Bad Mood? 7 Ways To Get Over It Fast!

The Art Of Seeing Opportunity In Adversity

Solve All Of Your Problems With This Ancient Chinese Secret

The Single Most Destructive Thought You Can Have

(Image in today's post by aprilbell)