The gloom and doom of the stock market seems to make everyone depressed.  But before you launch yourself into that destructive mindset, ask yourself the following question: When you look around yourself, what do you see?

Some of us see scarcity, and others see opportunity.  Unfortunately, that distinction corresponds to the gap between rich people and poor people.  But why?

Our Surroundings

Every day, we experience various things.  We see ourselves in the mirror.  We watch the news on TV.  We read the newspaper.  We read blogs.  We listen to the radio.  We interact with family, friends, acquaintances, and co-workers.  How someone perceives each of these experiences tells us a lot about them and their attitude. 

The Pessimist

The Pessimist sees scarcity.  This person looks in the mirror and sees an employee.  When he watches the news, he groans at the high level of crime in the country.  She reads the newspaper and panics about falling housing prices and the impending recession.  He reads blogs and sees other people making money except him. 

She listens to the radio and doubles over in pain when she hears about the falling stock market.  During his interactions with family, friends, acquaintances, and co-workers, he sympathizes about how there isn’t enough money; talks about the eroding value of the dollar; expresses frustration about his job; and cries about the falling value of his 401(K).

The Optimist

The Optimist sees abundance and opportunity.  This person looks in the mirror and sees an investor, a business owner, or an entrepreneur.  When he watches the news, he focuses on ideas for solving the high level of crime in the country.  She reads the newspaper and thinks about how to profit from falling housing prices and the impending recession.  He reads blogs and networks with other people who make money that way, intent on forming lasting business relationships. 

She listens to the radio and thinks about to hedge herself (through investments in oil companies, commodities, hard metals, etc.) against the price of gasoline.  During his interactions with family, friends, acquaintances, and co-workers, he emphasizes that there is an abundance of money in the world; talks about buying silver and gold to protect himself from the falling stock market; expresses relief about not having a job and, instead, owning a business; and exposes the myth about the ”value” of someone else’s 401(K).

They Are Looking At The Same Things

The irony in the differences between these two individuals is that they are looking at, listening to, and experiencing the same things.  The catch is that, where one sees scarcity, the other sees opportunity.

The Result of These Differences  

The one who sees scarcity–the Pessimist–will never succeed beyond the hollow achievements of his or her job.  These people will never grow because they will never take their true talents, their passions, and their potential and channel and maximize them through a personal venture–like a business, an entrepreneurial effort, or even a website or blog.

The one who sees opportunity–the Optimist–will inevitably succeed over and above the pale laurels of a job.  These individuals will grow because they will take their talents, ideas, passions, and potential and leverage them into a variety of business and investing ventures.

Who are you, and what do you see? 

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