1. Electric violinist at Smith & Jones
2. Cliff Richard myself and my Inger at Jacksons Steak House
3. Inger and people I have made friends with who are trying to change the laws on condo apartments
4. Inger, me and friend at the Delino one of my favorite hotels in Miami Beach
Let the tide out and see who's left in there naked'
When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough get Going.
Here I am in Madoff country, where Bernard Madoff swindled some of the wealthiest people in Palm Beach. His victims were primarily wealthy members of the Jewish community. Many of these people were also patrons of the arts so unfortunately this will have a negative impact on the culture world in South Florida. Normally a place where the rich get richer and where the poor...well! they just enjoy the weather. I have lived here each winter for 6 years and still can't get over the sun shining 90% of the time and eating out in warm winter evenings. I also feel a bit smug watching the television showing the arctic weather almost everywhere else.
But not everything is rosy in this idyllic playground for the rich and famous. At every party I have attended in Palm Beach I've meet someone who has either been royally ripped off by Madoff, the King of cons, or knows someone who has and are now seeing the horrendous consequences of ignoring the danger of high interest investments and burying their head in the sand . One fellow said he was worth $100million but now he doubts if he could afford to buy me lunch.
It reminds me of Bernie Cornfield the Mutual Fund Mogul and convicted swindler, a renegade financier who became a celebrity and built up a $100 million fortune in the 1960s. He was described by The Economist as "The Arch-Scammer."
He was so smooth that he once said that he could sit at a table, take his shoe off, pick his toenail with a fork and still get the sale and he did just that to prove a point. So it is not surprising that it was only a matter of time before someone else came along with a bigger and better swindle. The key element that enabled them both to be a success was human greed and even the most brilliant forgot the golden rule, "if it sounds too good to be true it is."
In the 80's I was working in London as a journalist for Model magazine and although it was small it was influential amongst the wannabe models hoping to be 'discovered' by the powerful agencies. These agencies watched and monitored the magazine as it featured the young hopefuls but it also attracted some very unsavory characters. I was asked to interview Bernie Cornfield who was a potential investor. He had just had plastic surgery on his eyes in his doctor's office and he was very uncomfortable. He wanted to use the magazine to invite the vulnerable models to his castle in France for short weekend breaks. Fortunately the deal fell through but I got a great story for the major Newspapers.
The social scene:
Many of the charities' black tie affairs and lunches are much quieter and smaller these days. Even our charity dinner at Donald Trump's private club, the spectacular Mar-A-Lago was scaled down to a third of the size. Couples that would normally buy three tables were only buying one and some charities have cut down to one ball every two years. Apartments are not selling and in fact would be hard to give them away. Since there is a concrete restoration scam going on here it's no wonder. Shopping malls and streets are quiet with many small businesses closed as people are just not spending.
The most disquieting of all was when I visited Ocean Drive in Miami. It's always bustling in the high season (now) with no parking places and traffic at a snails pace. This time, it was deserted with masses of parking places and only a few of the many trendy bars with people in. My friends who live in Miami said they had never seen this before. I am told that the UK is faring better.
I was invited to meet some friends, big developers, who decided to find new avenues to make money. Their spectacular mansion now holds parties for networking. Filled with the wealthy who are hurting from the economy and looking at a new multi-level shopping on-line idea called "Shop to Earn." Its growth is quite incredible, sweeping through Florida with over 92,000 joining in less than a year. One of the presenters introduced himself as a realtor refugee who has found his way out of the hole. Soon we may have no other choice but to shop on-line with all the small shops and even department stores closing down, so watch this space - it may start to sweep the UK in the near future.
For all the Bankers and Stock Exchange Victims
There is a new popular term for the girlfriends of traders and bankers experiencing problems with their lifestyles and pockets. They are being called "economy" girlfriends. Their job is to keep their partners calm and keep them from dying at the age of 35. Relationships are suffering and the breadwinner is tending to throw their relationship out of the window because of their depressed state. In the US, support groups are popping up all over the place with one called "Dating a Banker Anonymous" claiming to help cope with relationship fallout. It gives pointers such as "step into a dress and heels and sip your cocktail and wait your turn to talk." It seems that the guys just can't handle a relationship when they are going through this economic slide. It's a big blow to their ego and self esteem. I think it is a consequence of greed that has swept the world but gives us hypnotherapists plenty of business.
News on Diets and Weight
There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that the new diet pills that have been called 'magic' pills have proven to be dangerous and also may not work at all as it suggests in the newspaper headlines. The other bad news is that you can catch obesity. If someone that is obese sneezes in your direction you can catch this new virus. Sounds a bit far fetched but maybe the chemicals we are eating have created this new bacteria.
The infectious obesity virus is know as AD-36 and it is claimed that it makes fat cells multiply, leading to weight gain, and can also cause coughs, sore throats and diarrhea. If you need to know more about it Nikhil Dhurandhar of the Pennigton Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana is your man. He said that AD-36 victims continue to gain weight even after they have fought off the infection. However, scientists are worried that this may detract from the basic message that all we need to do is take more exercise and eat a bit less.
All this overweight and obesity has crept up in the last few years, so something has changed. The good news is you don't have to diet, you just eat healthily (organic food as much as you can) and exercise. If you find it difficult and you don't have the will power you could buy my book, Self Hypnosis by Valerie Austin and it helps you to hypnotize yourself to give you the natural discipline needed.
The Oprah Syndrome:
I have been worried about the new mantra, "Think positive and don't think negative or it will bring negativity to you." The new self-help gurus have been singing this song for the past few years with fervor. The trouble is if you don't use common sense and look at what is happening, how can you have a plan B? If you can't think around your problem how can you fix it. You need to look at all the alternatives so you
can make a decision based on the facts. In a new book The Oprah Phenomenon co-editor Jennifer Harris says, "I find her model of self-help deeply troubling. At some place along the line good common sense took flight."
Since Oprah is such an influence on the masses watching her shows it is worth taking note that she is a business woman and is said to be, in some statistics, the richest woman in the world. She is certainly is very powerful in the media world. It must be taken into account that when she loses weight her audience decreases and when she gains weight she also gains audiences. That would be called a subconscious secondary motive to put on weight in therapy terms. So I think the moral is to be realistic not negative - there is a world of difference.
Tips for our strategy in this economy freefall
It reminds me of the song by Billy Ocean "When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" which hit the charts at our last economic dive.
Looks like it's a case of "Play it again, Sam."Thank you for reading my page. You can e-mail me at: valerieaustinhyp@aol.com
Please visit my website at www.valerieaustin.com
Valerie Austin Training (founded 1989)
Validated (GHR, GHSC) Hypnosis Training courses at foundation & practitioner level in business and medical hypnotherapy.
Valerie Austin is author of six successful self-help books including SELF HYPNOSIS published by Thorsons
Founder of UKRAH (1992) The UK Register of Advanced Hypnotherapy.
Eds Note: VALERIE AUSTIN is an author, journalist and trainer with an international reputation in the field of hypnosis. Her best selling books and training help people achieve their full potential. She founded the Austin Corporate Stress Management Company focusing on reducing stress and anxiety amongst executives and CEO's. She also worked as a consultant in hypnosis at the Priory Hospital, the UK's equivalent to The Betty Ford Clinic, which specialises in food addiction and alcohol abuse. Valerie's work in the film industry (Hollywood) interviewing movers and shakers, producing TV news segments and publishing celebrity magazines in London gave her invaluable experience for her current Harley Street practice. |
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