Are the arrows green or red for you right now?

Are the arrows red or green for you right now?

Checking out the conditions at the coast is something we do quite often. Seabreeze is a marvelous app that has red and green arrows which tell you if the conditions are good or not so good. It was created for windsurfers and kite boarders, so the arrows are green when the wind is pumping. The red arrows tell you there isn’t any wind, so don’t bother to take your gear out!

These days I like to go down to the beach when the arrows are red – because it makes for a lovely walk and a calm swim. Taking the boat out is more comfortable if there is low wind and not too much swell. So ‘red arrow’ conditions are perfect for me now.

My point is this: perfect conditions for one person are not necessarily perfect for everyone else. What you want to do will determine which conditions are going to be ideal for you to thrive. You need to be adaptable to make the most of any condition.

Wouldn’t it be great if we had a crystal ball that could tell us exactly what the future has in store for us?

Here in Perth, the entire mining industry is affected by the iron ore price. It was $180 per tonne, and it dropped below to $47 per tonne in April. Now it’s sitting round the $60 mark. Anyone whose income is connected to this industry is affected by this volatility.
Having been through a few cycles similar to this, I feel compelled to give encouragement!

Positive thinking is not a matter of sticking your head in the sand and saying ‘lets just focus on the positive’. It’s way more important to be real about what is happening and actively seek the opportunity. Find ways to make the most of the current circumstances.

The tide will turn. Just as high tide becomes low tide and the sun rises and sets, good times and tough times are also cyclical. The arrows could be red or green. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the weather will be calm, and it will be turbulent, not necessarily in that order.

So what do we need to focus on?

We choose either to survive or to thrive. We can take the lessons we need to get, put appropriate measures in place – then seek ways to thrive.

What do we need to do to get ready for the upswing when it comes?
What opportunities are there in a market such as ours?
Which arrows are green for you?

When we lived in Hopetoun I thought that diversity of assets meant having income from different sources – shares, property, salary, own business etc. What I quickly leant is that if all those assets are influenced by one major factor, if they are all in the same economy, then that is still highly risky. When the price of the main industry resource falls, then jobs dry up, suppliers businesses close down, people move to where the jobs are.

So where are you exposed? (what do you need to do while the arrows are red, to make sure you are ready to go when the arrows are green?)

Where are your opportunities?
What do you need to do to take advantage of whatever comes along. We don’t know if the tide has already turned or if it’s still got a long way to go.

How will you create green arrows?