Preparing for Lean Times

This post is about preparing your mental and emotional health for lean times by taking full advantage of the good times.

There is a story about a young dreamer named Joseph. He was the great grandson of pretty gutsy guy named Abraham. While there is a lot that can be said of their story, there is not enough space in this post to tell it all.

Joseph was in the country of Egypt as a young man and he had a wonderful gift of being a dreamer and it was accompanied by an ability to interpret dreams. Not only did he have these gifts but he was a person of character that could be trusted under the greatest pressure and temptation.

This combination of gift and character allowed him to come to the attention of the Pharaoh (line of rulers in ancient Egypt) of that time. First because of using his gift previously to aid someone who was close to Pharaoh, secondly a habit of integrity. This caused that person to recommend him when Pharaoh had a dream that troubled him.

Pharaoh’s dream was that 7 very healthy animals were consumed by 7 malnourished animals. A second version of the dream was 7 healthy grains were consumed by 7 shriveled grains. Joseph correctly interpreted that there would be 7 prosperous years and 7 impoverished years. Now Pharaoh was no dummy. He realized Joseph was a gifted individual and asked Joseph’s advice. Joseph said why you don’t save a portion you have during the abundant years to cover you during the lean years.

Oh yeah, did I mention Pharaoh was no dummy. I bet he knew some of Joseph’s history. That is, Joseph had successfully run the operation of Pharaoh’s main man, the captain of his guard, Potiphar. That is until he ran into a sexual harassment case. But that is another story for another time. Suffice it to state that Joseph had “out of this world”, management skills. So Pharaoh placed Joseph as a ruler, second only to himself, to make sure there was plenty for the lean years. Joseph was unbelievably successful and Egypt became place of plenty during the lean years.

So taking a page out of Joseph’s manual I want to say there will always be times that are better than others. Most look to apply this wisdom to their finances. Yet what is equally important is to invest in the asset of your mind while you have the time. There will always come along a period when you do not have the time or effort to build yourself up. If you don’t build yourself during good times it can leave you anxious, depleted, embarrassed, and stressed during lean times.

So how do you prepare your mind during good times to keep you in command of your sanity and happiness during the lean times? Here are some thoughts.

Read books. Ones that are written by someone you consider successful whose story or writing shares pearls of knowledge and wisdom to use.

Take a class to learn something that adds to you. Learn a language like Spanish, French, or Japanese. Practicing is a journey in itself!

Write an email or letter to someone you admire requesting to interview them to gain knowledge and wisdom. You will be surprised who will communicate with you when you show genuine interest. A tip: be able to share something with them you know is a common interest.

Start a workout regimen to relieve stress and promote health.
Attend a seminar. Many times your local library or chamber of commerce has many local events that are low cost or free.

Find a mentor. Someone you learn to trust to give you guidance and feedback. Someone you admire, who is where you want to be in life. Follow their advice.

Develop your dream by creating an “Experience” booklet that speaks to and crystallizes all the things you desire to do and are willing to work toward.

Take walks and think. Many times we are so in occupied we don’t just take time to think. Remember to think of things for which you are grateful.

Renew or began a friendship that energizes you and release one that weighs you down.

Practice changing a habit by focusing on the opposite of that habit. For an example if you desire to lose weight, start to spend time around people who are in the process of losing (in a healthy way) weight and learn from them. In every process there are starters, mid-pointers, and the achievers. Each one has a something to share.

Practice before you get on stage because that’s where the lights show everything

Share a comment on some ways you prepare yourself in good times for the times that are not so good.

 Hi! My name is Vonzel Sawyer. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. I started blogging to share from my experience, knowledge, wisdom, instruction, and understanding to help persons maxamize and magnify the positive in their life. That is why I used the terms "maximum" and "magnification" and combined them into a single word "maxafication". Just like something can be magnetized or winterized. I want to impact people to live largely and fully each day!