For many months now, the global financial crisis has dominated the news and the thoughts of many. Stress and anxiety levels have risen. In today’s world we are bombarded with negative news every day — not just once but over and over. Fear sells newspapers and programs, and the media sells fear. Often we are fearful or anxious over things that we cannot control. The global financial situation is causing anxiety and fear among a wide range of people who have no influence over what is happening. The more fearful we become, the more likely we are to react.

For example, news that stock prices are falling causes people to sell their stocks, resulting in a further downturn in the market. People who are fearful of what will happen tomorrow stop spending their money today, thus contributing to the very situation they fear.

I know that many people are experiencing real hardship during this period and cutting spending may be the only option they have. However, with low interest rates and lower petrol prices, many others have more disposable income than before. Businesses rely on people spending and when this stops, everyone suffers.

So what can you do to recession-proof yourself and your business? The main thing is to stop living in fear and anxiety. Easier said than done, you think! For a long time doctors have realised that stress causes physical symptoms. A number of studies have been published that show a correlation between a positive psychological functioning and reduced level of disease.

So it is important for your physical health to maintain a positive attitude in life, no matter what happens around you! After all, you are your most important asset – both in your business and in your life.

Carly Crutchfield is the founder and CEO of the Multi-National CCORP group and over the last decade she has grown her business from a one-woman show to a diverse group of companies including property development, mortgage and finance solutions, property investment, TV production, a charitable foundation, music and sound production, online education and more. The CCORP groups are not only solvent, but profitable with a turnover in the multi-millions in both revenue and profit. Even during the economic downturn, CCORP’s staff numbers have increased threefold. However, it didn't start this way; Carly started life very differently and has stayed on a different path her whole life.

Having left school at the age of 12, she had no other choice but to start working. By the age of 16 she had developed an entrepreneurial streak and started to learn about investing and more specifically, property. By the age of 20 Carly had traveled the world, owned businesses, sold businesses, volunteered for numerous charitable projects throughout the world and gotten involved in the property and share market. Carly's action packed and adventurous life path continued to where she is today; a self made millionaire, philanthropist, author, property developer, business owner, and more.

“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas lights.”

—Maya Angelou

I must confess that as I write this chapter I myself am feeling a little frazzled. Yesterday I sat on the phone for 45 minutes listening to old music and found myself going ever so slightly insane. Something tells me I wouldn’t cope too well with lost luggage or tangled Christmas lights right now either: The question is, “Why?” Most of us want to ‘have it all’ but the reality is that something has to give. If we fail to prioritise life balance and boundaries it can quickly lead to burnout.

Have you ever watched other people in a social setting, say, in a café? Often you can tell, without hearing anything they are saying, whether they are good friends or just acquaintances, whether they really like each other or are having a disagreement. Just think about how you know. What are you noticing that enables you to make such distinctions?
Your subconscious mind is tuning in to their body language. It is interpreting the situation based on numerous subtle signals. Your mind is an expert at reading these clues and it is always monitoring other people’s facial expressions, gestures and postures for clues as to how they are feeling. It is also sending out signals to them through your own body language. There is a whole other layer of communication being carried out below our conscious awareness. In fact, it is now thought that this is how most of our communication is relayed – 55% of what we are really saying is communicated through our body language and facial expressions.

Rapport is the recognition and mutual acceptance that exists between people who like each other and who communicate easily. We generally have rapport with our friends and close family but we can learn to build rapport with anybody. This is a valuable skill that can be used to improve both personal and business relationships.
We have looked at how to match people’s language to improve communication and build rapport. When talking on the phone or face-to-face, you can also match the volume, speed and tone of their voice. Is the person you are talking to speaking slowly or fast? Is their voice high or low, loud or soft? Don’t do anything that does not sound natural for your voice but as far as possible try to match those characteristics of their voice. So if the person you are talking to has a soft, low-pitched voice and speaks slowly then you would allow your voice to drop to your lower range and speak quietly and slowly.