The news these days is pretty bleak.

Our financial system is on the verge of collapse. Foreclosures and bankruptcies abound. Layoffs are commonplace, recession seems obvious. And, we've got two flawed candidates running for president, one of whom will have to figure out how to fix this mess.  Not looking good for the ole red, white and blue.

Who could blame you for getting depressed or singing "woe is me" to all within earshot. These days you won't have to look hard to find others who will happily commiserate with you and join in the chorus. Before you sell the house for scraps and bury what's left of your savings in the backyard, there are a couple facts I'd like to point out:

• Today there will be people who make a killing in the stock market
• Today many people will receive job offers for a lot more money than they've ever made before in their lives
• Today some people will sell their homes for more than they dreamt possible a few years ago
  
• Today some businesses will record record profits
• Today some people received news from their doctors that they've got only a few months to live
• Today some people in Galveston are finding the kindness of a neighbor offering them a place to sleep and bathe means more to them than those stock options and 401k's that were so important a 30 days ago
• Today some people will find out that their newborn, who was in critical condition, is going to make it and be fine after all
  

Good or bad is relative, not absolute.

Brilliant author Neale Donald Walsch has said that our perception comes from our perspective, and he was right. Your viewpoint determines what you see...and what you see determines what you experience. Change your perspective and you change your experience.

Make sense, or don't you believe in that kind of Zen mumbo jumbo?

Maybe you are someone who thinks:

• "We're going through an economic Tsunami, there's no way to sugarcoat this disaster"
•  "It's a fact this is a disaster and the toll can be measured. It's hundreds of Billions of dollars and some economists believe it will be more than a Trillion when all is said and done"
  
• "Anyone who sees anything positive in this carnage is either oblivious, retarded, selling short or in need of sobering up"
  
•  "I believe in facing reality, telling it like it is. I don't delude myself. I pride myself on being intellectually honest"

I can't say you're wrong either. From your perspective, you're right on the money, because from your perspective that's what you see. And, what you see creates exactly what you experience.

However I can 100% guarantee you that that is not what multi-Billionaire Warren Buffet is seeing. How can I be sure? Well, usually those that see the end of the financial system as we know it don't usually plunk down $5 Billion to buy a stake in an investment bank. Where the masses see hopelessness and devastation today, Mr. Buffet sees opportunity. He sees what few others see for one reason — he has a uniquely individual perspective. His perspective has created, time and time again, his massively wealthy experience. Unlike most of us, he EXPECTS to find opportunities. He expects to find them in "bad" times...and in "good" times...and in "in between" times. And what happens because he has that perspective, and is on an ever vigilant lookout for lucrative business opportunities? Voila, these opportunities "miraculously" show up for him. Understand two things: One, it's no miracle. And two, and here's the cool part, if we had his same perspective, we'd see what he sees too.

The most important thing to comprehend is that perspective can be learned. No different than how an rank amateur cook like me can create the same dish as a master chef...if I follow her recipe to the tee. You can learn to change your thought processes so you can "cook" what you want to experience. If you are serious about wanting to learn how to attract wealth and get that "Buffet-esque" perspective I'd suggest you take 20 minutes and read  Manifesting Wealth, the very powerful ebook by Avery Kanfer. It was part of the Black Book on Personal Finance anthology my company published and it's absolutely brilliant. I've arranged for Pastrami to Publishing readers to get a free copy by clicking here (Reg. $18.95).

Or maybe you don't want to read it because you're happier keeping it "real," not like that polyanna Mr. Buffet?