When I am down or anxious I have learned to keep telling myself to keep going, keep moving forward, in other words don’t stay where I am at. Never give in, or give up, just keep moving forward. I visualize myself in a rut or small hole in the road and know I need to get moving to get out. I know that once I move forward a little I will feel much better.
This could be an actual physical move such as running or riding a bike or weight lifting. It could also be listening to an uplifting audio book or podcast.
Other things that have worked for me:
-help someone in need.
-say hi and be friendly to people
at night, if I am stressed and laying in bed sleepless, I get up and write down my problems and possible solutions. I may write a to do list and then set it aside. It’s amazing how well doing this helps me relax and then when I lay down again I usually will fall asleep.
I have figured out that for me these things work. Everyone has to figure out what works for them and then remember that they work. When you are down, it is easy to forget what got you feeling better last time.
Move forward, never stop and never give in, before you know it you get out of that rut in the road of life, and you’ll be better because of it.

It is easy to read or talk about improving your life but doing it is Tough! With the next book you read or interview you hear, take 1 thing..only 1 thing that can improve your life and use it,starting right away.
Use this one thing to lead you down the path towards the person you want to become. It is these little steps that will make the difference in the long run. Try to swallow too much and you’ll choke every time.
At the end of each day ask yourself what little step did I take to become just a bit better than yesterday?
If you can answer that each night, you will be amazed at where you will be a year from now.
I did this with running, I decided to run 3 times a week. But I couldn’t run even a half mile…ok, not even a 1/4 mile…but I walked and ran a mile, then each time I ran a bit more and walked a bit less. Now 2 years later I can run 6-7 miles with out dying. It took me a long time but it paid off. Trick is to start slow, chip away. I decided that I always could find 10 minutes to run ..no excuse. so 3 times a week I would run/walk 10 minutes minimum. Once I was out and doing it, 10 minutes went by too quick so I would keep going…little by little improving..just this one thing…now people keep telling me that they can’t believe I run 5-7 miles 3 times a week, and either can I!
What really was interesting was when I would wake up, I would jump into my running shorts and shoes, throw on a shirt and get out before I would decide not to. After a while I would just go and it became a habit…now it is a hard habit to break…I feel bad if I don’t run.

Hint: Use the Strava free app to keep track of your time and progress. It will show you little improvements that will keep you motivated. (go to my stuff page for more info)

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Why hello matters
On average,1 person every 9 days jumps from the Golden Gate Bridge to end their life. Several years ago, a person was on their way to do just this. He walked from his apartment to the bridge and jumped to his demise. When the police found a note in his apartment, it said something to the effect of ‘I am walking to the bridge to jump off,as no one cares about me. If anyone says hi or asks how I am, I won’t jump, because I’ll know that someone cares about me”.
Even though this way of thinking may not make sense to most,that is how he felt. Such a simple gesture of saying hello or asking someone how they are doing, just may mean everything to them…give it a try..you just never what effect you will have on someone’s day, or even on their life.

I never had time for myself…..until I made time for myself. I ended up getting up 30 minutes earlier and spending that time on myself….for me that has been reading and exercising.
This small change in my routine took a little while to get used to, but the benefits are huge.
I highly recommend finding the time out of your schedule for yourself. You benefit, of course, but everyone around you benefits as well. Well how’s that? You may ask. Think about it. If you are not able to set aside a little time to reflect about how you are living and why you are living the way you are, then how are you to know if you are doing the right things? Take for instance my exercising, if I didn’t do this, I wouldn’t have realized how good it makes me feel. It rejuvenates me, it makes my arthritis much more bearable, it allows me to not worry about calories so much, it allows me to listen to books on tape. I am reading more than ever and learning as I exercise.
Now, when I hear someone say that they don’t have time for something, I wonder if they ever thought about getting up earlier, or staying up just a little longer……it is a sacrifice, but the benefits far outweigh that sacrifice.

Is it important for employees to feel like their work has meaning? Is it important for the employee to know they are cared for and valued? You bet! If an employee feels good about what they are doing, they tend to produce more, produce better and be willing to go that extra mile for the company. If the employee feels that the employer cares about them and what is important to them they will perform better. How do I know this? I have owned several small businesses over the last 20 years and found that these are some of the key ingredients to a good employee. Of course they need to be paid what they are worth, but I have found that in most cases that feeling of being appreciated or knowing that you are valued is more important than wages. So how can a small business owner make this happen?
1.Discuss your goals and ask the employee about their goals, both personal goals and work related goals. Showing that you are interested in their goals shows that you care. If an employee knows they are cared for by their employee, they will tend to reciprocate that feeling towards their work. As an employer you will see that the more you care, the more your employee will want to do their best for the business. By sharing your company goals, you can make them aware of your passion for the business, letting them know what matters to you and to the business.
2.Discuss the connection between the two. If work goals go against their personal goals, it can be difficult for your employee to be motivated at work. On the other hand, if the two are aligned, it becomes a win-win situation. For instance: an employee goal may be to spend more time with their family. A need arises for the employee to work overtime, the employer may ask the employee to work overtime, and as a reward let the employee know that if there comes a time that they need to leave for an hour or two for a school time event during work hours, that they will be allowed to do so. There may be a play or a sporting event that is during work hours, if you allow the employee to leave early for this, without even having to pay them, the employee will be very grateful. Be flexible with the employee, then when you ask for something extra from them, they usually will jump at the chance to help you. Never tie one to the other or tell them they owe it to you, just let them know that you care about their goal of their wanting to be around their family more.
On the other hand, if you always say no to the employee, this is interfering with their goal. Their focus then becomes to find a way to reach their goal, this may mean lying to you or looking for another job. Ultimately their goals will come before yours.
3.Alignment: The sooner you can find out what is important to your employee, the better. Some employees focus on money, others on time off, others on flexibility, others on moving up, others want the same challenges everyday, to leave work issues at work, some always think about work, they think about how to make things better. Once you find out their priorities, you can act on them, let them know that you are interested in what matters to them. If money is a priority, let them know what they can do to reach their financial goals. If flexibility is a priority, fins out more. Maybe it is as simple as letting them start 10 minutes late or 10 minutes early twice a week to get their kids to a babysitter. If they are always coming up with ideas, give them an outlet for these ideas.show them that you want these ideas and you will consider them. If they are comfortable just “doing the job”, find out what they are best at and let them do it. If they want more responsibility, give it to them, have them show you what they can do.

An employee needs to know what is important to you as a leader. What is your vision for the company, for them personally. Let them know, they are the key to your success. If they don’t know where you want to go, they can’t help you or your company get there.