The deflation of the global markets, devaluation of th Rand and the decline in spending is impacting most South Africans. Some people may be going to bed each night wondering if their job is secure and how much longer they can afford their mortgage. Business owners may be worried about the next pay day and workers wondering how to add more value to avoid retrenchment.

Dr John Demartini, human behaviour specialist, says the world is not ending, despite the apparent turmoil. So it is unwise to panic and become overly anxious and burden ourselves with even further with unhealthy stress and aging!

We make much wiser decisions when we stop and center ourselves before we emotionally react. Whether the markets are going up or down, when we begin to wisely manage our emotions, we are more able to adapt and transform great challenges into even greater opportunities. As Warren Buffet has taught, until we can manage our emotions we can’t expect to manage our lives or our monies.

Dr Demartini has a clear message: “Every event has two sides. The universe conserves this balance. So in these crunch times, it is important for us to not lose sight of both sides of life’s equation.” It may seem to the populace of the world that the current situation is a loss without gain, destruction without construction, but this is not the whole truth, for ignorance blindly sees only one side.

History has taught us that out of the ashes rise great opportunities and that any challenge can be transformed when we know how to ask a new set of questions and shift our perceptions and then actions. For example difficult market times can make us place a higher value on conservatively saving, thereby increasing the chances of wisely accumulating future wealth. Losing a job may be the catalyst for creative entrepreneurialism. Chaos can bring unity and awakening to a new order. Look how the world leaders have united in their will to restore stability to the world markets.

Here are some examples of perceived challenges with their compensatory blessings which may help you bring an awareness of the other side. Reading these may assist you in allaying your fears around the challenges associated with the temporary loss of money.