With the current global economic crisis beginning to affect our everyday life, it can seem hard at times to stay focused on achievement. Especially when we turn on the TV News or grab the local newspaper only to see the latest unfortunate news stories about thousands being laid off and the growing number of homes in foreclosure or companies filing for bankruptcy and our state and federal government announcing cuts in programs and spending . But not that long ago, the Chief of Staff for President Obama, Rahm Emanuel was quoted as saying "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." And if we look at this statement from the point of view of being able to do things we think we could not do before the crisis - possibly on every level - then this rings a bell of confidence when it comes to pursuing achievements that seemed difficult to reach before the downturn. So contrary to popular belief, if any time is the right time to do our thing then now is the most important. We should do all that we can to stay focused on pursuing our aspirations so that we can take advantage of any opportunity to advance toward high achievement. The key to staying focused on achievement and unlocking the door to new opportunities is to not lose sight of our own aspirations. We can do this in three major ways that seem evident. The first way would be to surround ourselves with objects that remind us of what we are working so hard for. Some people create scrap books with pictures of things they want to own, while others just post pictures of their family around their home, office and even their car. The next way is to regularly interact with other people that motivate us toward achievement. Creating a network of people that encourage and positively influence us is important to maintaining self confidence. We can also stay focused by constantly educating ourselves with new information; reading books, attending educational seminars or participating in forums and special interest groups. But no matter how negative we find information reported by the news media, this information can be beneficial in educating us in how we can protect our focus from being swayed off our path to high achievement. See blog for final part of article.

Everywhere we turn we will see prices for almost everything is on the rise.

The question is what should we do when prices are constantly rising and

our paychecks are staying the same? Below are a few techniques that

other consumers are using in order to survive the turbulent financial times.

-- Share rides to the stores
-- Make a list before going to the store
-- Pay the minimum due on bills to remain current

-- Shop yard sales

-- Cut coupons
-- Buy only sale items

-- Many families buying bulk items together
-- Vacation locally