Take advantage of changing circumstances to take charge of your life - Boston Globe

[Anguillan newsboy]

By Michelle Singletary | June 1, 2008

As the economy continues to slide, many people will face unwelcome changes in their lives.

But with all this change comes the chance to turn a negative situation into an opportunity to live for what you love, say Bob and Melinda Blanchard.

"The desire to change course is often the result of some kind of wake-up call," the Blanchards write in their new book "Changing Your Course: The 5-Step Guide to Getting the Life You Want" (Sterling, $14.95).

No question the housing market is shaking people up. And that's good for some because that wake-up call was needed to change how people used their homes. We now know a home isn't a bottomless piggy bank. Maybe, just maybe, this housing crisis will make people better money managers.

This is an unapologetic feel-good book. There's even a slightly hokey hook.

The Blanchards lead you through the five steps in order to DREAM:

# Decide what you want to change.

# Research your options about whatever it is you want to accomplish.

# Evaluate which is the most feasible option to pursue.

# Act to make your plan real.

# Maintain your dream to make sure it lasts.

This book is packed with stories of people who changed careers or employees who decided to become entrepreneurs. As young adults, the Blanchards left low-paying state jobs to open a kitchen supply store. They eventually sold that business and opened a restaurant in the Caribbean. They now commute between Vermont and the island of Anguilla.

But this book isn't just about following a dream. It's about shifting in a direction that makes life more fulfilling, financially and emotionally.

And the Blanchards know change can be difficult. I know it ,too.

I've spent the last two decades trying to get people to be better money managers. But many don't change because it means hard work and getting rid of the behaviors that get them stuck in one financial mess after another.

"People use all kinds of excuses for not making a change, and most people list fear and lack of money as their biggest obstacles," the Blanchards write. "But it is lack of information that usually turns out to be the culprit."

One of the Blanchard's mantras is that knowledge always trumps fear.

You want to live a rich life? Then change what you don't like about the one you're living. Stop being complacent and go get what you want. That's the point of this book.

Get your money straight. Get another job if you feel ill every time you sit down at your desk. Use your layoff to start that business you always wanted.

As the Blanchards write, "You can respond to life's events as they occur, or you can take charge and create your own circumstances."

Michelle Singletary is a columnist for The Washington Post. She can be reached at singletarym@washpost.com.