Author Deepak Chopra told Erin Burnett the economy–and the country–may be in crisis, but the basics of America have not changed. "This is the cradle of innovation...our ability to produce and innovate hasn't changed. This is a psychological crisis."

Chopra described the origins of the crisis as a "false economy" that convinced Americans to make a series of bad choices. "What happened is, we created a false economy by creating these derivatives–which were not based on value, or service, or product–and we kind of bamboozled the country into spending money that they hadn't earned to buy things that they didn't need to impress people that they didn't like. And now we have a crisis."

But even for Americans who've struggled to find work–or who've been working harder but making less–Chopra says there is benefit to thinking about opportunity in these challenging times. His first suggestion is to ask questions, particularly whether there's something out there you haven't considered yet. "Is there an opportunity for me in this crisis? Ask the question even if you don't have the answer."

And, Chopra says, this is a time to reach out and reconnect. "This is the time to cultivate relationships."