The following arrived in my email yesterday via a subscription I have to Darren Hardy of Success Magazine. I thought it made some valuable points to be taken into consideration and thought I’d pass it on.

No more whining, bitching, moaning, griping and complaining.

At a social function recently, 90 percent of the chitchat I heard were whimpers about the economy, how bad Obama is doing and how much the health care plan sucks, ad nauseam.

Finally, I had heard enough and I blurted out, “In the ‘80’s when the economy was booming, did you get rich?”

“Uh, well, no” answered the small crowd’s speaker.

“But Reagan was president and still you didn’t? What about when Clinton was President? He created a big national surplus, certainly you got rich then?”

“If you were standing in the healthcare haven of France right now, as you describe, would you be any healthier than you are now?”

Silence was his answer.

“Look”, I said, “stop worrying about the national economy and focus on your own economy. Don’t worry about who’s running the White House and concern yourself with running your house better. The only health care plan that matters is your health care plan…  for you.”

In my observation, it is just as easy to fail in a good economy as it is in a bad one. And it is just as easy to get rich in a bad economy as it is in a good one. Why? Because the economy has nothing to do with it.

I know many good, capable, smart and hardworking people who have been whacked by unexpected consequences of the economic winter we are in. It happens to the best of people even in the best of times.

Instead, start focusing on what you can control, what you can do, what’s possible and what’s great. Note the abundance and opportunity all around you…  no matter the national economic report. Just focus on your report… and your life.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, depressed, stressed, defeated or even just uninspired, try this exercise:

1. Make a three-column list.

2. Write down things that are affecting our world, our nation, your state or your business. (Ex.: war in Afghanistan, Toyota and GM recalls, car bombings in Iraq, healthcare reform, etc.)

3. Write down all the news that you or your friends have discussed this week. (Ex.: unemployment figures, who won an Oscar, who shouldn’t have gotten booted off American Idol, 911 terrorist trial location, etc.)

4. Write down all the things you are worried about in your life. (Ex.: finding a job, survivability of your business, kids having difficulty in school, arguing with spouse, health condition of family member, your own health condition, etc.)

5. Next, write down if you have any control affecting the outcome of that situation.

a. If you don’t, stop worrying (and paying attention!) because you can’t do anything about it. It has no immediate impact on your life, so wipe it from your mental plate.

b. If you do, write down what you can do to take control, improve the situation, and most important, what is the next step to take.

6. Lastly, write down your top three goals for the year and write down the next single step you can take to move closer.

Remember, stop giving attention to the things you can’t control and have no bearing on your personal life. If you can do something about it, decide what part of it you can control and affect. Then take positive action.

Don’t get stuck standing still. Contemplating and, certainly, complaining about things you don’t have control over is simply lunacy.

Don’t stop here – there’s more…

Over the last several weeks, I’ve gotten back into my Law of Attraction and Power of Positive Thinking mode. I’ve taken time to reflect on the word “success” and what it means to me personally.

Everyone has different goals in life – some people want wealth, some people strive to become a better person while others wish for nothing more than good health and longevity in life. Regardless of your personal goal and vision of what success is to you, everyone needs a plan.

No one becomes successful overnight – even if you buy the winning Powerball ticket this weekend, you might become rich overnight – but would that make you successful?

Overnight success just doesn’t happen – especially when applying the same values to making money and with internet marketing.

When you see people making thousands of dollars per day or month, you may feel the urge to follow suit in hopes of achieving the same level of success. It’s easy to get inspired and energized in the beginning, but when the vision of success doesn’t come quickly, many get frustrated and give up.

What I encourage everyone to do is look at the history of that successful person. Look at archives to see how long they have been doing what they do. Most times what you’ll find is years of dedication – hours upon hours of hard work.

What is your definition of success? Are you working toward a specific goal or do you feel you may be losing steam? Share your thoughts – inspire others with your energy or be inspired by those staying on course.