Everywhere you turn, you hear doomsday prophecies of the U.S
. economy. Some say its getting worse and some say it is stalling and will continue to be a plague to this country for years to come. Here is the bigger question though: what do you say? How do you view the recession? Is it the end or simply one great challenge to overcome? The recession is what you might call one massive boulder, one that has been placed in front of you and prevents you from taking a straight road. What do you when an obstacle blocks your way? Do you turn around and walk the long road home? Or do you find a way around it? This is the attitude you have to take when combating against the recession. Right now, everybody from your neighbor to politicians in Washington are still in panic mode. Instead of finding a way around this obstacle, these people are standing stillright in front of the boulder you might sayand warning you about the big boulder. Instead of joining them and harping about the big obstacle in your way, you should be looking to the future. The recession doesnt mean that money has run outit merely means that commerce has become far more competitive. Money is being saved, and budgets are being reduced. People are becoming more cautious about their expenses. People are working harder for their paychecks while employees who do less are being laid off. Brick and mortar stores are competing against Internet merchants and battles are being fought over the lowest available price. This should emphasize to you that the recession era is not necessarily a bad thing. It makes the marketplace more competitive. Know that there is in fact plenty of opportunity in this economy if you offer something better! Focus on what exactly you are offering to your clients and customers. Are you aggressively marketing your skills and products? Or are you coasting, expecting the nation to take care of you with its surplus? Now more than ever professionals need to add new skills to meet the demands of the new world that is forming. Investing in your personal growth is what you should be focusing on. For all the effort it takes to analyze the economy and worry about your findings, you could be making money buy following the market.