A bump on the head

This week's New Yorker has a great commentary by Lauren Collins about how our responses to the current financial climate are entirely within our control, just as a small child's response to a scrape or bump is within her control:

"Every parent knows the moment when a small child hits his forehead on a doorknob, or bumps her chin on the coffee table, and then the long seconds of red-faced anticipation, breath drawn, while everyone waits for the explosion of tears... though the inevitable explosion is, mostly, inevitable, a small part of the parent’s heart hopes that this time the child will somehow compose herself, see that her injury isn’t life-threatening, take a breath, find distraction in a bright, shiny object, and laugh."

So too, argues Collins, goes economics. Investor mood and confidence often trumps other, more "rational" economic factors in driving the market up or down. How we choose to perceive the current economic climate will largely determine if our economy sinks or rebounds, just as a child's perception determines if the bump is a devastation or inconsequential.

Moral of the story: we create our own realities, so why not create a good one?

This goes for all areas of life. Why choose to believe that your marriage is doomed, a career change would never work, and that that extra 10 pounds is "inevitable"? Do you really want to create that reality? Which would you prefer instead? Let's vote for that one.

Choose to "take a deep breath. Look at the ornaments! Don't cry."