Program Success January 2009 | Page 5

PROGRAM SUCCESS – JANUARY 2009 PAGE 5 Turning Challenges Into Opportunities This New Year By, Veronica Anderson, Esquire, Anderson and Associates, P.A There’s an old saying that crisis and opportunity are the two sides of the same coin. In these troubled financial times many are facing difficult financial and spiritual challenges. People have lost jobs, homes, self-confidence and their faith in the future. Thanks, in great part, to the media and what is happening with the housing, banks and automobile industries, people are becoming fearful. Fear causes one to concentrate on what is seen and heard, which causes you to lose focus that God is still in charge. There are still opportunities for financial growth, recovery and spiritual re-birth, if we look for them. A great opportunity for financial and spiritual rebirth is presented to us by the upcoming New Year. We all want to give extravagant presents, especially to our loved ones. But in these financial times, it doesn’t make sense to spend money on expensive presents when you’re having trouble paying the bills; and it doesn’t set a good example for our children. Consider making something with your own hands, or giving your child a gift Veronica Anderson certificate for 200 minutes of your time, to be Esquire spent however that child wants. Presents can be less expensive than in previous years, but the Holiday experience can be richer and more meaningful. Put the credit cards away, and find an opportunity for the whole family to help someone who is less fortunate. Volunteer to feed the homeless; cle