With all of the talk on the news, one would swear that a collapse of some kind — economic, political, whatever — was not only immanent, but happening at this very moment!

I even receive phone calls and emails asking about these “tough economic times.”

Some folks are worried.

Some are down-right scared.

Others don’t know what to make of it and are wondering how they “attracted” these “hard times” into their lives.

Just so you know, this isn’t one of those articles telling you to ignore reality.

That’s stupid.

Events are happening and people are being affected. Hiding your head in the sand and ignoring reality is not the thing to do. It’s not a matter of thinking positive and wishing things away. That’s not what Charles F. Haanel wrote about in The Master Key System.

Haanel wrote about facing problems and solving them.

Overcoming them.

Not hiding from them.

And definitely not living in a fantasy world.

So, what did you do to attract this chaos in your life? That’s the question that is being asked the most.

The answer is: nothing.

It’s life. Sometimes it’s sweet; sometimes it’s sour.

We work and practice Haanel’s philosophy of success so that it is sweet more than it is sour.

But there will always be times that try us …

… that test us …

… and that, if we allow them, can break us.

While we don’t attract everything into our lives, what we can control is how we respond to them and how well we are prepared for them.

When the bad times come, are you going to be the person who loses it and runs about like a chicken with its head chopped off? Are you going to sulk and shiver in a corner?

Or are you going to look at the situation with a calm and collected eye and make your plans for what you have to do to get yourself out of the situation?

That is what Haanel wrote about in The Master Key System. In Week Nine, Haanel wrote about a man who had a child that was born deaf and about whom the doctors said there was no hope. Did the man curl into a ball and give in? Did he acquiesce?

No.

He looked at the situation and formulated a plan. He kept the faith and followed through with his plan.

And his plan worked. His son lived a normal life.

The man did not ignore the situation. He did not merely wish and hope that all would be well. He saw what he had to do and he got to doing it.

He succeeded.

And you will, too.

With all of the fear and worry being bandied about by the news and talk shows, you may have some doubts. But if history is any indicator, you will be fine, just as long as …

… you are prepared …

… willing to do what needs to be done …

… are wiling to look at what is …

… and work to make things how you want them to be.

You may be worried or even scared.

Sometimes you fear something for a very good reason. If you are walking alone in a parking garage and you suddenly feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, it just may behoove you to take a very good look at your situation as you may be in very real danger.

Fear can be a tool that we use to warn us of something bad that may befall us!

Think about that for a moment: Fear (or worry) can be a warning mechanism.

Now, you shouldn’t succumb to the fear and let it overtake you and your actions. Rather, you should listen to it and investigate if it has any validity or not.

If you are afraid of what may happen to you economically during these times, then you should take stock of what you have and what you can do if the worst happens.

In other words, you should make sure that you are prepared!

Do you have money saved?

Do you have a skills that you can use to move to a new position or business?

Have you networked so that you have people you can contact to help get a new position?

Are you willing to do what you need to do so that if need be you can get through a “tough time”?

Do you have faith in yourself?

If your answers to any of those questions worries you, then do what you have to do to make yourself “bulletproof.”

Start setting some money aside.

Get your résumé polished.

Start connecting with friends and associates about possible job openings.

And the big one: Do what you need to do to get yourself through the tough times.

The only thing constant in life is change. The only thing that helps a person succeed in life is adapting to that change.

In other words, you don’t wear your summer clothes when it’s winter!

Just understand this: Any economic stimulus begins and ends with you.

As a corollary to that, it must also be said that if the worst happens to you, then the only person who can help you rise above the fray is you.

There is one point about The Master Key System that most people fail to grasp: When Haanel wrote about a “Master Key,” he was not writing about something outside of you nor something separate from you.

He was writing about YOU.

The Master Key is YOU.

YOU have the power.

YOU have the ability.

YOU have the will.

It is YOUR duty to use it.

YOU are the only one who can open the doors put before you.

Be proud …

… be fearless …

… and be bold.

YOU are the Master Key to YOUR future fortune.

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Fortune favors the bold just like it favors those who read great books.