The opening line of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” is “It was the best of times and the worst of times….”

That’s how I feel about our economy right now.

On a conference call recently, I made the following comment:

“We make our own economy.  There’s just as much money out there as there ever has been.  Your life is a result of your mindset, actions and decisions.”

In another conversation about Mike Dillard’s new product, The Elevation Group, I’ve recommended that people wake up and realize a simple truth:

“What we’re going through right now is not just another recession.  This isn’t just a slump that we’re going to work out way out of.  The US dollar is in decline.  And it’s time for Americans to wake up and realize that hyperinflation in America is not only possible but it’s likely.”

If you look at those two statements, they might seem like a paradox.  In fact, a couple of people have heard me make both statements and they’ve asked me, “Tony, which is it?”  Because it sounds contradictory to them.

So, let me clarify what I mean and how that second statement doesn’t negate the first one.

I DO believe that our lives are the result of how we choose to think.  That the quality of our lives is a result of the quality of our thinking.  I believe that our thoughts, beliefs, expectations, decisions and actions are the “ingredients” that make up our lives.  And we create our lives every hour of every day by the decisions we make. Call it “law of attraction” if you want to.  Call it “law of the harvest”.  Call it whatever you want, but it’s a law of sorts.  We create our own lives.

At the same time — and this is what has confused some people — the fact remains that this “law” — whatever we want to call it — is not the only factor working in our lives. To use an extreme example, anyone who’s read “Man’s Search For Meaning” would agree that Victor Frankl did an amazing job of maintaining a positive mindset in the horrible circumstances of Nazi imprisonment.  But — and this is my point, so don’t miss it — he was still in a Nazi prison camp.

Now, I don’t mean that to say that Frankl’s attitude and mindset was unrelated to the fact that he survived the ordeal.  In fact, quite the opposite.  My point is that he didn’t stick his head in the sand and say, “I’m not in prison, I’m not in prison, I’m not in prison.”  He simply looked around and said, “This is the environment I’m in.  And I have a choice about how to deal with it.”

This is how I feel about our current economy.

Only a fool would say, “Our economy is the same as it’s always been.”  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that food prices have gone up dramatically….that the value of the US dollar is dropping like a rock…..and that the economy is steadily getting worse, not better.  It’s obvious for anyone who wants to observe it.

So, to borrow from Frankl’s experience, let’s call this economy our “prison camp”.

It is what it is.

The question is, within this framework what are you going to do about it?  THAT is the opportunity for us to choose our thinking, our decisions and our actions.  That’s what we have control over.

Some people prefer to say, “No, I don’t want to hear anything negative.  I don’t believe in negativity.  I just want to focus on the positive”.

Well, if someone is in the  group, here’s my message for them:  Grow up.  There are weeds growing in the garden.  It’s not enough to stand around and say, “There are no weeds, there are no weeds, there are no weeds.”  If you want to have a healthy garden, sooner or later you’re going to have to acknowledge that — YES — there are weeds in the garden.  And you’re going to have to figure out how to deal with them.

So, I don’t see a paradox.

YES, I believe that we have the ability to create our lives by our thoughts, decisions and actions.
And YES, I also believe that the economy is in a precarious position that will make the Great Depression look like child’s play.

And it’s IN this situation, that we have a great opportunity!  Sure, it’s frightening….but it’s also exciting.

Did you know that there were more millionaires created during The Great Depression than in the 20 years prior?

Did you know that the Empire State Building was built during the Great Depression?  And the Golden Gate Bridge?

I believe you and I are facing even GREAT opportunities right now.  And it will come from

1. Understanding that it’s still our thoughts, decisions and actions that create our opportunities
2. Being informed about what’s going on and not ignoring it or sticking our heads in the sand
3. Finding out what informed, wealthy people are doing in this economy so that you can model their behavior

I honestly believe that anyone who’s reading this blog has the opportunity to become VERY RICH in the next few years, even if you don’t have a lot of money right now.  Because it’s not about how much money you have….it’s about getting into position so that — when the s&$% hits the fan — you’re not caught with your pants down and wondering what to do.

Not you.

You’ve got a plan.
You read the books.
You got informed.
You made some preparations.
You weren’t lazy.
You didn’t stick your head in the sand and say, “This isn’t happening.  This isn’t happening”.

That’s what Jessica and I have been doing:  getting into position.  And even though we’re running late compared to a lot of people, I think we’re still ahead of 90% of the population.

I’ll close with this.  If you want some recommendations on what I think you can do right now to start getting into position, here’s my top three tips:

1. Get a membership in The Elevation Group. If you’ve been to the financial section of Barnes & Noble, you already know that the information there is either outdated or useless in this economy.  Some of the information is not just bad, it’s dangerous.  The Elevation Group is a resource website that Mike has put together so that the “average person” can find out what’s really happening in our economy, how to prepare for the possibilities, and how to make a ton of money in what we call “The Greatest Wealth Transfer In The History of the World”.
2. Start buying some silver. Physical silver.  Not silver stocks.  Actual silver coins.  American Silver Eagles are good.  So are Canadian Maples.  Buy bullion coins, not “collectibles”.  (Collectibles are great but, if you’re hedging against inflation or looking to protect your assets, bullion coins will let you buy more silver for your dollar.)At the time of this writing, silver is still only around $30 an ounce.  Anyone can afford to buy an ounce or two of silver every week.  You’ll be glad you did.  Silver is actually more rare than gold and — as the dollar continues to plummet — putting your money into silver is the best way to protect your assets and watch them grow.  (Note:  I’m not a financial counselor.  Due your own research.  I’m just telling you what I would do.)
3. Buy a book called “Emergency:  This Book Will Save Your Life” by Neil Strauss. The reason this book was helpful to me was NOT because it was written by a guy who knows all about a possible economic crash.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  When he started writing this book, he knew NOTHING.  So, this book is an opportunity to “look-over-his-shoulder” as Neil goes through the whole process himself, learning about the economy, learning what possibilities could occur in a economic crisis, etc.  This book also includes non-economic preparation.  Think about it:  if the dollar crashes, the banks are closed.  If the banks are closed, there will be a run on the grocery stores.  If there’s a run on the grocery stores, you’d better have a plan.  Emergency is very easy to read, even funny at times, but will leave you with a very clear perspective about your ability to not only survive but to prosper in times of crisis.

Bottom line:  there has never been a time when “self-reliance” is more important than it is right now.

We live in times of uncertainty.  So, it’s important that you understand how to control your thinking….don’t follow the knee-jerk reactions of the “herd”…..and start thinking for yourself.  If you do that and you get informed, you’re in the top 1% of people who can get very RICH in the next few years.

As always, please leave your comments or questions below.  Also, please use the link/buttons provide to share this with others!