There is a lot of dire news at the moment. Not only are we still fighting two terrible wars, but the economic world as we have know it for the last seventy years is collapsing from under our feet. The stock market just took its biggest one day dive since the great depression, and the great bailout plan is hitting obstacles at every turn (I won’t get into that here, but for my take on that, please visit our blog at http://www.abundancebound.blogspot.com). So, given all this negative news, how are we supposed to do all the positive things necessary to move our financial security, and hence our artistic careers, forward?

The answer is our focus. Consider this for a minute: what are you spending your time thinking about and focussing on? Chances are you will find it all too easy to spend every second of every day thinking about the environment, and the economy, and the Presidential race, and what your next audition will be, and where your rent is going to come from, and how will you find the money for your children’s tuition, and so on, and so on…

Except it isn’t healthy. Yes, there is a lot to be concerned about in the world today, but what you need to ask yourself is, how do you feel when you’ve spent an hour (or two or three) worrying about it all? Do you feel up-beat, and excited, and ready to get out there? Or do you feel depressed, and lethargic, and wanting to curl up in front of bad soap operas (if there are any other kind) for the rest of the day? Conversely, how do you feel when you’ve just worked out, and have finished a great book, are are doing really well in class? Ready to take on the world, is the answer.

So what has changed? The world is the same, all that is different is what part of it we are focussing on, and that is the answer: what has changed is our focus and, from that, our mental state.

Now, I am not saying to ignore the outside world: we are part of society, and have an obligation (in my opinion) to be a thoughtful part of that. However, we don’t have to spend all day every day thinking about what is going wrong with the world. The Law of Attraction teaches us that we get more of what we think about. So, if we are dwelling on poverty and misery, do we really expect to have joy and wealth coming into our lives?

The trick to this is what motivational expert Brian Tracy calls The Law of Substitution. He says that the conscious mind can only really hold one thought at a time, so that, when a negative emotion or thought enters your mind, you can replace it instantly with something positive. Do this consistently, and you are well on the way to achieving a generally positive outlook on life. So, next time you start to feel down about yourself, or your career, try saying “That thought is trying to trick me and make me unhappy…” and then focussing on what you want your career to look like. When finances are getting you down, look instead at what opportunities exist in this current climate, and remember what Warren Buffet says - “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful”. Why is he a good example? When everyone else is panicking and pulling out of the markets, he just bought a $6 billion piece of Goldman-Sachs… talk about focussing on the upside, even if it is 5 to 10 years in the making.

All this is to say choose your focus, don’t just happen upon it. Consciously direct your attention onto things that support and benefit you the majority of the time, and watch as your the world around you aligns with your new thoughts…

Miata Edoga is a working actor and founder of Abundance Bound, Inc, the financial education company for actors and artists. She recently released The Artists’ Prosperity Home Study System, designed to give anyone who wants them the tools to take control of their money.

Miata Edoga may be contacted at http://www.abundancebound.com

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