You can fight the recession by looking through the lens of opportunity!

Over the last 4 days I conducted retreats through which people gave themselves the opportunity to step away from their work, home, and all the demands of everyday life to ask: Where do I really deeply want to be in five years, and how do I make this year the best I've ever had?* The comments of one woman broke open possibility for many of us. She seemed to have affixed an " opportunity lens " to her perspective, as she took in the great variety of goals on which people sought feedback.

For instance, one woman's goal was to take her interior design business to the next level - to be featured in magazines and to secure work that was more comprehensive and allowed fuller creativity. We gave this woman many ideas about networks, marketing, and her work. The woman with the "opportunity lens" though caught all of our attention, as she said something to the effect of "if people can't move, then help them improve?" Where others saw shuttered homes and frozen markets, she saw windows opening and light pouring in to existing home design possibilities.

A second person was discussing their spouse's financial advising business. This person was evoking in all of us, the sense of how dark and gloomy it must be for someone in financial advising - what with their clients seeing portfolios shrinking, worrying about retirement, wondering what to do. You could almost hear us all thinking, "Gosh, that must be tough." But then our woman with the opportunity lens turned us to opportunities in the crisis. She noted that the crisis offered a great time to educate people, to share information, and to be with clients during this crisis. People remember when you are candid and caring in their really hard times (and they also notice when you go dark, abandoning them during a scary time). The woman with the opportunity lens also pointed out that this was a great time for outreach. People are frustrated with their advisors, so this may be a great time for that person's spouse to reach out and educate people about the current climate, risks and options. Who knows what investors might not be very ready to make a switch.

What was striking to me was that though we all were generating ideas and good ones, her application of the opportunity lens was consistent and it was illuminating. How many people - out of your groups of six or seven or eight - are consistently asking, "Where's the opportunity here?" I suspect it's not half, and I'd say, "Now, there's an opportunity…for you to

Lead with your best self!

Dan

* I have led 70-some people through these retreats in the last 15 months, and universally they've said, "I have never given myself such a great opportunity to focus on where I'm going." They've come away aligned and excited. I'd encourage you to watch for future retreats to see what they're talking about.