I was asked an interesting question this week by one of my clients who goes to work each day fearful and hoping that this will not be the day he receives that dreaded layoff notice and finds himself among the ranks of the many thousands of recently unemployed.

The question was: How do you survive a recession?

I’m certainly no expert but the true experts – you know, people like those economists we see on TV who never agree on anything but have the answers to everything – tell us to cut back, tighten our belts, hold on to every nickel we have, go into survival mode, hunker down, prepare for the worst, and wait for it to come to an end.

I have a slightly different perspective. My view is this: I think the way to survive a recession is not to survive it but to prosper through it; to ignore the fact that there is one; to recognize the world is filled with abundance and that scarcity exist solely in our heads.

To wake up each day believing this is the day the great things will happen in your and then hit the ground running in order to make those things happen.

It is to live our lives each day with as much energy, passion and anticipation of victory as we can muster and to turn blind eyes and deaf ears to those who say otherwise.

If we find ourselves unemployed, it simply means that we should be overwhelmed with gratitude at being set free – emancipated – by an organization that clearly does not appreciate us.

We need to see this for what it truly is – a tremendous chance to look deep inside ourselves, and determine the direction we really want to pursue for the rest of our working lives.

The situation of being “departed” from a job is a God-sent opportunity to enter into a new lease on life – one in which you draft the terms and conditions and then pursue with the absolute certainty of success.

What a great time to decide if you want to keep doing the same type of work you have been doing, change direction completely or, if true freedom is your ultimate goal, become self-employed and carve out the exact future you have often dreamed of.

Pay no attention to the media, they will report every bit of bad news. That’s their job. The old adage that “if it bleeds, it leads” is vital to their survival. After all, who would buy a newspaper with a headline that screams; Plane Lands Safely.

I have a friend who sees the world as wonderful, amazing and flowing with opportunity. He was laid off eight weeks ago did exactly what I described above and within two weeks had found a new job, doing precisely what he’d been doing before. He is in a job he loves working for a company in the oil and gas industry – the very same industry as his previous employer and which has been totally decimated by $40 oil prices.

Many years ago Robert Schuller a well-known pastor and author wrote book titled “Tough times never last but tough people do.” and today, in these times, those words have never been truer.

We are not in “tough” times and we did not leave “good” times to get where we are today. We are simply “in times.” We choose, in our own heads, whether the times are tough or fun.

I recently read a magazine article proclaiming that during the recession of 2008 more new millionaires were minted in the United States than ever before in the course of one year. I suspect that record will be broken again during this recession for the seeds of great opportunity always lie buried deep within the ruins of struggle.

I love my friends, my clients and the many people who touch my life each day. I ask this of you: please don’t come and talk to me about recession unless you want to share with me your story of how you turned (or are turning) challenge into victory.

Recession is not worthy conversation. It is energy draining, soul damaging and depression producing. The time we spend discussing this is far better spent exploring the limitless possibilities of greatness that are out there and available to all who pursue them with passion, energy unbending resolve and boundless determination.

The only limit to our happiness is the self-imposed limit we place on our own imagination.

Let’s stand together and shout out loud: WE MAKE NO CONCESSION TO THIS RECESSION.

Till we read again again.