Now What?

Happy New Year. If you thought 2008 was tough, get ready for 2009. It’s time to ring in the recession.

Even if the economy doesn’t get as bad as I fear it will, the media will constantly remind you that doomsday is right around the corner. The more freaked out they can get you, the more you will tune in for updates. Panic sells, and it’s hard to not be sucked into the vortex. If you buy into the hype, you’re screwed.

So now what? How do you learn to think rationally when the world is acting irrationally, and there is panic and chaos all around you? It seems that we all have no choice but to adopt a Recession Mindset—the mindset we all go to when times are tough. And that’s the problem. By adopting this mindset, you are opening the door to poor decision-making and loss of control.

A mindset is a mental attitude that predetermines how you interpret and respond to situations. If you have the right mindset—it doesn’t matter what the market does—your mindset controls everything. It can give you the emotional security you need in an overwhelming time.

So how do you stop from defaulting to a Recession Mindset?

Admit it. You’re bunkered in. You’ve cut back. You mainline CNBC. You’re stressed and freaked out about retirement, college tuition or the mortgage. You’ve even run a comparison between the U.S. economy in 1931 and today. It’s hard not to slip into a Recession Mindset right now. It certainly feels like the right thing to “do.” It’s not.

Does this economic downturn have an effect on you? You bet it does. But it doesn’t have to have the same impact on your business acumen or your decision-making.

I was in a business meeting recently with an extremely successful and wealthy CEO. He said he was cutting back because it “seemed like” what he “should” be doing. There was no business reason, just emotion driving that decision. That’s the Recession Mindset at work. How many business opportunities do you suppose he is missing because of his mindset?

How you think about the recession is not the same as what you “do” to protect yourself from it. The problem is when most people bunker down to survive a recession, their mindset bunkers down too—they pull back.

You can bunker down in your portfolio—without bunkering down in your thinking. And you’d better not bunker down in your thinking—because you’ll have no power.

To survive and flourish in this economy, you must act. There are opportunities in all tough situations, and instead of allowing the Recession Mindset to take hold, I want you to adopt what I call the Wealth Mindset.

This mindset will prepare you for the rough road ahead, and enable you to be in control and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. That’s why I’m here. I can help you beat the panic and stress that affects you and your business. I will teach you how to adopt the right mindset, right now.

You have to be on stable financial footing before we start to monkey with your mindset.

Please make sure you’ve already taken the obvious steps: You’ve spoken to your financial advisor, you understand your worst-case scenario and have a well thought out Plan B. And if you don’t—put this magazine down right now, call your advisor, have the tough conversations you seem to be avoiding, then come back and finish this article. I’ll still be here, and you’ll still need to hear what I have to say.

Your financial plan is in place, but you’re still overwhelmed. Now what? Now I help you switch from a Recession Mindset to a Wealth Mindset.

I’ve worked with top executives at Fortune 500 companies. I’m a contributor to CNBC. I’ve studied the behavior of leaders of industry like Warren Buffett and Donald Trump. I’m an entrepreneur myself, and I use this in my own business. The Wealth Mindset has you rise above problems so you can take control and solve them.

Donald Trump was near bankruptcy by 1991. His investors were going to foreclose on all of his bond debt, and he was careening toward certain business and personal bankruptcy. But he lives the Wealth Mindset. He didn’t falter. Instead of panicking, he planned. He knew the banks didn’t want to lose hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars. He used that as leverage to practically force the banks into restructuring his debt. He ended up with much improved long-term debt deals, and he removed his personal obligations. He saw opportunity—where others saw imminent ruin. Where are the opportunities you are missing right now?

Creating a Wealth Mindset is about letting reason reign instead of emotion. It is governed by three principles: Control, Opportunity and Elitism.

Control is the key to the Wealth Mindset. You want to start to look for areas in your life where you can exert control. For example, in irrational times like these, I always label the things I cannot control, and I ignore them. I only focus on things within my control:

• I cannot control the market, but I can control my level of exposure and risk.
• I cannot control how the media spins stories, but I can control what news I consume and how I react to it.
• I cannot control the U.S. economy, but I can control whether my mindset is in a deep recession.

Opportunity is also critical. A Wealth Mindset looks at a recession differently—through the lens of opportunity.

The richest people in the world make a habit of acting calmly, and swooping in at times of chaos and taking advantage of bargains in real estate, talent and competition. If you must make cuts, do it through the Wealth Mindset—ask yourself which cuts would create an opportunity to change the game in your favor.

The best part for me about the Wealth Mindset is the opportunity it presents in your personal life. Adopting the Wealth Mindset means less worry and stress. You’ll be happier because you will be in control of your life. This isn’t just about business. This is about improving your life.

Elitism is the secret ingredient of the Wealth Mindset. No, you don’t have to become a snob. You no longer fall victim to groupthink. What applies to everyone else—doesn’t apply to you. You play by your rules. You do things your way—always have, always will. You now act instead of react. This is the mindset of an elite few.

When you adopt the Wealth Mindset you simply choose not to participate in the recession. In fact, you now see it quite differently than everyone else, and that sets you apart.

History is a wonderful thing. It tells us that recessions always pass. This one will, too. Are you going to hibernate through it—or get stronger while everyone else around you sleepwalks? The choice is yours.

Download the first section of Mel's "Now What?" wealth mindset program at www.success.com/Mel.

Mel Robbins is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host, CNBC contributor, spokesperson for Microsoft and serial entrepreneur.

Read Mel's weekly SUCCESS blog.