Boosting Courage During the Fear of A Recession


It’s the 21st of February 2009 and as I write this there is no doubt that the worldwide economy is reeling in the wake of a global credit crunch (and might I add as a result of too much consumerism, corporate greed and shoddy ethics). The media is churning out piece after piece of fear inducing coverage on topics such as increasing crime, corporate theft, foreclosures and increasing mortgage payment defaults, unparalleled job layoffs, job insecurity crippling debt, bad loans and more gloom and doom than you can possibly stomach in a day.

With all the focus on despair it is no wonder the world has come to a grinding halt and consumer and business confidence is at the lowest point in decades. But what about the good news stories – many businesses are reporting record growth, some are expanding into new markets, taking on new employees and even turning work away? You don’t see these stories very often in the media. What happened to balanced coverage? And importantly how is this lack of balance impacting your decisions?

• Are you staying in a job you hate because you’re afraid you won’t find one you’ll love?
• Are you delaying starting a business because you’re surrounded by news of business failure?
• Are you hanging onto your savings rather than invest in retraining or other strategies to help you advance and future proof your career?
• Are you working longer and longer hours because your afraid the boss will think you’re a slacker and lay you off?
• Is your mind racing and racing with so many bad news scenarios you can’t sleep at night?
• Are you afraid to take a risk or do something truly innovative because everyone urges you to be careful?


My favorite strategies for boosting courage and taking risks during the fear of a recession:

People often ask me what the secret to my success is – the great news is that there is no secret. The success factor is simple – remind yourself that you are in control, take calculated action toward your dreams, have a back up plan in case it all goes to custard, and, very importantly, have faith that what ever happens you’ll handle it.

I'm working on a new e-Book "Courage: simple, inspiring and powerful ways to challenge your fears" at the moment. If you could do with a dose of courage check back here shortly - I'll let you know when I've finished it! It will be filled with some of the things I do to boost my courage – especially in the face of discouragement, negative input and other potential handbrakes.

Labels: achieving goals, Overcoming setbacks, Powerful thinking

"Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self -gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
Helen Keller



Many people are not living the lives they really want. They go to work and take care of their responsibilities, but still feel empty inside, as if something is missing. They wonder who they are and why they were created. Most of all, they would like to know they were making a difference.

William Marsten, a prominent American psychologist, asked 3,000 people what they have to live for. A whopping 94% said they have no definite purpose for their lives.  Similarly a 2004 survey in Management magazine revealed that 84% of people would change jobs if a better one came along, and over 90% of people who seek coaching have no long-term goals or vision for their life.

Why are so many people dissatisfied with their situations? The answer is simple – people don’t have a sense of purpose. Without a purpose, life is uncertain, unclear and has no direction. Living without purpose is like setting out on holiday with no sense of where you want to go and what you want to do when you get there. So often people waste precious time and money aimlessly heading to a place they never wanted to be.
People who don’t know what their destiny and life’s purpose is will always have that inner voice saying something is not quite right.

Perhaps you are at a point in your life where you find yourself questioning where you are heading and what your life is all about. Often this questioning occurs during times of transition, the passing of another year or increasing dissatisfaction with the life you are living. You may be so busy being busy that you have never had the opportunity to sit down and reflect on who you are, who you want to be and what you want to contribute to the world. Even if you had the time, discovering the answers to these questions is not always an easy task.

Getting Clear about the Work You Were Born to Do
Gaining greater clarity about life’s purpose begins with gaining greater self-awareness of the life experiences that have shaped you, your passions and the legacy you want to leave in the world. It means getting clear about the work you were born to do, creating a clear and compelling vision about your preferred future and ensuring everything you do from this point on takes you closer to your life purpose.

One way to begin to think about your life purpose is to list the finest qualities you feel you have to contribute to the world (for example, humour, compassion, wisdom, joy, sensitivity, creativity, practicality and so on). Then choose the three that are most important to you and list past activities and accomplishments that accurately reflect these.

Looking back on my life, happiness, optimism and passion for people are three qualities people have recognised me for. While most of the feedback I have received has been positive I think it is important to know that sometimes qualities that lead you to work with purpose can attract criticism. One colleague I once worked with said, “The problem with you, Cassandra, is that you are always so positive.” I can think of worse things to be, can’t you! My happiness and optimism lead me on this journey to share these life affirming strategies with you – hence the Happy@work book excerpt you are now reading.

Similarly my passionate nature and passion for passion lead me to create ‘The Passion Pack’ – a career and life planning tool I created especially to help others. I’ve help thousands of people find their passion and make wonderful careers from it – something I am proud of. Once again while developing The Passion Pack someone said to me, “what makes you think you know everything?” When I tried to defend myself she said, “my, aren’t we a princess!” It was a turning moment in my life and career. I realised the recipe for failure was “try to please everyone.” I also learnt not to listen to cynics and people who didn’t believe in the beauty of my dreams. I hope you will remember these things too as you begin to move away from unhappiness at work into the passion zone.

What’s Shaped You?
Another way to get clear about your purpose is to recall all the life events that have shaped you. Most of the results in your life are driven by your ten most significant events; seven most impactful choices; and as few as five key people.


Times of Significance
Take some time out and reflect on the following questions. Write the answers on a separate piece of paper or in your passion journal.

1) List five people that have made the greatest positive impact in your life. Why have they been able to have such a significant impact?

2) What have been the ten most significant events in your life?

3) List seven choices that have had the most impact on your life. What is it about the outcome of those decisions that made them have such a significant impact?


If you would like to tap into powerful, creative, inspirational and practical strategies to work with purpose and live with passion purchase your copy of Happy@work: job hunting for mid-lifers +. You can download free chapters and pre-purchase a signed copy from www.cassandragaisford.com - click here to be taken straight to the link

I just received an email from a friend saying her heart was healing nicely. Time heals all wounds they say....thinking of my broken toe here! Bet the same goes for the heart - like the toe: rest, don't put any pressure on it, expect it to take time, once repaired the break is much, much stronger than before!

So what does all the above have to do with being happy@work? Relationship strain is one of the primary reasons so many people are unhappy@work. Enlightened folks in many companies offer free relationship counselling for this very reason. Innovative companies take this one step further and actively sponsor membership to dating sites to help staff partner up!

Research suggests that people in happy relationships are more successful than those that aren't. Of course the same goes for those who avoid unhappy relationships and fly solo.

However, people benefit from being in a healthy relationship because they have someone to:
Encourage them to take risks or perservere
Boost flagging confidence
Coach and counsel them through challenges
Help them maintain perspective
Maintain healthy work-life balance
Enable them to pursue their dreams by financially support them
Share any financial strain or other challenges that may impact on work performance - family dramas and issues with teens is one area that instantly comes to mind

Labels: Health, Motivation, Productivity