Ten Ways to Prepare Yourself For Uncertain Economic Times

Even in the worst economic environments some people will be more successful and resilient than others. Why? Because some people simply have a better psychological relationship to earning and spending money. This allows them to make the most of the opportunities around them and avoid common mistakes.

If you want to whether uncertain economic times, and build a strong wealth foundation you need to have the best relationship with money you possibly can. Here are a few tips to help you do just that!

1) Forgive Yourself Unconditionally for Your Money Past. Fear and negativity from past experiences will affect the unconscious signals you send out to others as well as your own confidence and self discipline around money. Even if you are not aware of it a bad attitude about money could be affecting your opportunity. To start a serious change, create a forgiveness letter to yourself and read it aloud to yourself every night for 30 nights before going to sleep. You may also wish to talk with a coach or therapist about issues that come up as a result. This will help clear your way psychologically for new abundance.

2) If In Business for Yourself, Collect "No Thanks" Responses, Don't Try to Get Clients. Make a game of how many calls you can make, free consultations you can offer, talks you can give, articles you can publish, how many ways you can improve your product or service, etc. Assign yourself points for each activity. Play with someone else. When you both get enough points, go do something outrageous and fun. When you focus on the "no" not the yes you get less discouraged and stay more consistently engaged- which is particularly important when you are trying to sell in a tough market.

3) If You Work for Others, Don't Try for a Raise or a Better Job. Instead try to figure out how you can add more value and make more money for your company. Make it a game - how much better can you do this month than last. Document your efforts and your results. Then you will be in a good position to ask for a raise or to present your case to a better employer.

4) Be a Language Detective. What are you and others around you really saying about money? Do you talk about money struggle, how money can be a pitfall or the evil ways of the rich? Do others around you talk that way? Listen and learn, and then change the messages you speak and hear to support your new core beliefs. You will feel better and others will notice the change too.

5) Study Success Not Failure. Most of us have plenty of examples of people who do not make enough, save enough, or use money poorly. How many examples of prosperous, successful people can you easily call to mind? Decide what true and healthy prosperity looks like to you. Then interview people, watch the news, and collect examples until you have a list of 50 wealthy, admirable, and inspiring people. Write this list down. When you feel discouraged or unmotivated - read your list.

6) Stop Making Money a Secret. Tell someone you love about your debt or your earning goals. When you don't talk about what you make, what you owe, or what you spend, and you are afraid to ask others about their money - you increase the shame and confusion about it. Challenge yourself to go talk to five people about money - ask and tell all and give yourself the gift of real world perspective.

7) Stop Moving the Goal Post. Some people say they want to put $5000 in savings, but when that goal has been met, it quickly becomes "not enough." Give yourself the room to appreciate what you have done and accomplished. Make a list of 50 "successes" you have had over the last six months and keep it handy. This will help keep you motivated and moving. If you want to move on to bigger goals, make sure you know that they are separate goals and not extensions of previous ones.

8) Make Saving Money a Reward. Whenever you do something wise or good, take one dollar and put it in a jar. Let this positive energy stay in there and grow for six months to a year. Then take out your savings and invest it in something that will have a long-term impact on your happiness (for example: education or training, savings, investments or anything that will have a long-term impact on your net worth).

9) Focus Quality Not Price. Try not to haggle very often. In many cases, this creates an unconscious belief in lack. Either a thing is worth the energy or money is being asked or it is not. If it is, give it willingly. If it is not, look and ask for higher quality or a more satisfying purchase - not lower price!

10) JUST DO IT! Complete those tasks you know are undone and are nagging at you and draining your mental and emotional energy. You know you need to return those library books, call your aunt, move your 401k, change your insurance, or whatever your personal procrastination items are. The more unfinished business we have the more impulse spending we tend to engage in. Unfinished business leaves us feeling drained and keeps us in a state of inaction and denial. Both things are bad for your money. You will find that when you complete (or consciously decide to take off your list) unfinished to-do tasks, your start making better money choices.

Experiment with these ten tips and you end up BOTH spending less and earning more. And that after all is how wealth is built in ANY economy!