I am a Geek, a Self-Improvement Junkie and an Eternal Optimist…

I read every business, real estate, motivational, self-help and success oriented book I can get my hands on and I take some flak for it from family and friends.  However, there are certain threads that run through almost all self-improvement books and these are the ones we should really pay attention to.  One of the most common themes is that “you become what you focus on”.

If you focus on the positive, and associate with positive people, you will be happy, successful and yes…positive.  And, of course, the opposite is also true.  Every great motivational and self-improvement speaker/writer covers some variation of this theme including some of my favorite authors such as  Dale Carnegie, Stephen R. Covey, Peter Drucker, Brian Tracy, Napoleon Hill and the one name I get the most flak for – Anthony Robbins.  Say what you like, his stuff is excellent.

Anyway, in these challenging times it may be a bit tougher to find positive things to focus on but, believe it or not, wonderful things are happening every day here in Ridgewood and all over thew world.

For example, today is Halloween, and we had a beautiful day here in Ridgewood. The leaves were falling, the weather was beautiful, my two boys had a great time trick-or-treating and it was great to see our little street (Colonial Road) packed with smiling children running around in there scary costumes.  I also got in a car accident this week and my basement flooded last week – but I choose to focus on the great time my boys had today and all the smiling faces that came to my door.  It’s a much better way to live.  I’ll get my car fixed and the basement will be fine – these things are not worth focusing on.

To help you get started focusing on the positive things in life, check out the list of 10 Things That Are Going Right from Kiplinger’s:

No. 1: Oil Loses Its Swagger

With the U.S. and global economy hurting, oil prices have dropped 50% in just three months, from $147 a barrel in July to the $70 range. Remember $80-$100 fill-ups at the pump? The national average for a gallon of gasoline is down to $3.00, from $4.11 in March, and should stay in the $3.00-$3.50 range through next year. Prices for home heating oil and natural gas are also headed lower this winter than last.

No. 2: A Tipping Point For the Auto Industry

After years of talk and false starts, finally, all the major car makers are furiously developing hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles that could lessen our dependence on foreign oil. Meanwhile, desperate dealers are offering unheard-of incentives on new, gas-fired models. For example, Toyota is offering $1,000 cash back and 0% financing on the 2009 Camry, the most popular car in America. Don’t drive much? If you’ve always wanted an SUV or truck, the discounting on some models is extraordinary.

No. 3: Interest Rates Are Low and Headed Lower

The prime rate is at 4.5%, which is driving down interest rates on home-equity lines of credit and some consumer loans. The interest rate on a traditional 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is averaging 6.5%, the highest it’s been since the summer of ‘07, but still not too far from the historic low of 5.8% reached in ‘03-05 and ‘63-65. And although credit-card companies are cutting personal spending limits, rates are dropping, too. The average rate on credit-card purchases fell to 11.89% in the first week of October, down from 12.13% in September, according to LowCards.com.

No. 4: Homes Are More Affordable

Real estate, which was overpriced during the housing bubble, has returned to earth. That’s especially good news for first-time home buyers who were priced out of the market. While scare stories persist of credit drying up, the reality is more a return to traditional lending standards that had been thrown overboard-recklessly in many cases-by lenders. That means to qualify you usually need a 20% down payment, sufficient annual income, good credit and a tolerable load of debt.

No. 5: Your Bank Savings Have Never Been Safer

The $700-billion federal rescue plan more than doubles the amount of federal deposit insurance on individual bank accounts, to $250,000 from $100,000. Uncle Sam sweetened the pot further on October 14 by providing unlimited FDIC insurance on non-interest-bearing accounts. That will provide more coverage for the nation’s small businesses, which use these accounts. Plus, a new temporary federal insurance program covers the full value if your money-market-fund shares fall below a net asset value of $1.00 (called “breaking the buck”).

No. 6: Stocks on Sale/Many Bonds Offer Yields

The current bear market is approaching the ‘73-74 and ‘00-02 downturns, the two worst retreats since WWII. The good news: individual blue chips are selling at bargain prices. For example, shares of AT&T sell for about eight times estimated ‘09 earnings and yield 6%. Networking giant Cisco Systems sells for only ten times earnings estimates for its July ‘09 fiscal year. Google is going for less than 15 times estimates. Triple-A-rated tax-free bonds, an extraordinarily safe investment, are paying 5%-plus for ten years and 6% for 20. That’s more than the Treasury offers for bonds of the same maturity.

No. 7: Technological Innovation Continues

Been to Best Buy, Sam’s or Costco lately? For $799, you can now buy a 42-inch, high-definition flat-panel TV that will knock your socks off. Throw in another $200, and you can get a surround-sound system to truly transform your den into a home theater. A top-of-the-line PC with more memory than you’ll ever use now costs $1,000; high-end laptops with all the bells and whistles go for $1,200, down from $2,000-$4,000 five years ago. And giant leaps in handheld devices, such as Apple’s new iPhone, have revolutionized the way people interact with the world.

No. 8: Prosperity Reigns In the Heartland

The fall harvest is shaping up as one of the best ever, despite the destructive weather and floods in the Mississippi River corridor since last spring. Exports of U.S. farm products will increase more than 40% by value this year. And recent years of high profits have allowed farmers to pay down debt so low that it accounts for a measly 9% of their assets — providing all the credit they’ll need for 2009 operations. At home, while food prices jumped sharply earlier this year, the weak economy is now expected to slow further price increases.

No. 9: A New Tone and Direction in Washington

Whether it’s Barack Obama or John McCain who enters the White House in January, election of a new chief executive should provide at least 100 days of galvanizing certainty for markets, and a new direction and sense of purpose for the country.

No. 10: Great Gift Buys This Holiday Season

Retailers depend on robust end-of-year sales to turn a profit, but for 2008, the National Federation of Retailers forecasts holiday spending will increase only 2.2% from last year. That won’t even beat inflation. It’s good news for bargain hunters, though. Both brick-and-mortar and online retailers are gearing up to offer huge discounts to boost sales. For example, Deal News predicts a DUAL Core Intel Laptop will go for as low as $299 on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and a Canon PowerShot SD1100 will go for a very low $139.

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