Make the lean times work for you

You can either hunker down and hope for the big economic blast to blow over the top of you, or you can step out of your protected stance and really get involved in what's happening ... including the bargains and opportunities that will prevail.

You can play to win this game - or you can play NOT to lose.

Look at stocks, for example. You may have found that there are always bargains to be had in economic downturns.

Some people know that they can sell short and make money even when some stocks fall. Then they buy them back when they are very inexpensive. Others scour the market place and pick up foreclosed properties and the like.

But others have figured the best way to survive is to take cover, keep their heads low and just hope for the best.

Sure, that might work, but you will not have much left when the worst is over.

Sure, if enough people believe that the sky is falling, eventually they will cause some mess to ensue - and some will be hurt in the process. The media will still be there - although with less advertising revenues to run their businesses - telling us how bad it still is.

I believe some companies will be hurt by the economic disturbance that is taking place. That's a reality. But if you refuse to accept this negative focus - and decide to play the game to win, no matter what - then you stand a much better chance of success.

Instead of sitting around in despair, stand up, look around and see if there are any ways you can improve your business, if not profit from these changes.

Whenever we go into a dip in the economy, if you work harder, advertise more and keep up your quality and service ratings, you will surely be rewarded. In fact, you can buy much better ads than in the recent past, since there are lots of new media buying bargains out there. And you will always come out of the dip way ahead of your competitors.

The choice is yours: you can play this new game NOT TO LOSE, or you can play it TO WIN. Whether you win or lose, you will still be far better off than you would have been if you had taken no action at all.

It's a question of being proactive, not reactive.

And maybe it's time to stand up and look around!