Drown Your Blues Away in a Book

Feeling down? Don't know where to turn? Worried about the economy? Read a book. There is no shortage of things to worry about these days (e.g. finding new employees, working tough sales environments, inflation and etc) and it is easy to get bad tunnel vision – which could lead to negative thinking. Whenever I start to feel like the glass is half-empty, I know that I need to be more positive. Otherwise I start to make decisions that are based on playing scared. So I just pick up a good business book. It might be on strategy, sales, HR, whatever. I usually get a few good ideas in a few chapters and then poof... I start to get energized and start seeing the glass as half-full again. Keep the following in mind:

• If you’re not sure what to read, go to Amazon and type in a few key words and pick out a book that has a lot of positive reader comments. Another option is going to the bookstore and checking out what is under the cover.
• This is not a substitute for addressing problems. I am not advocating you spend all day reading. Just that you allocate some time to read, either before or after your day.
• Take notes on specific ideas that are pertinent to your company. Then, re-read those ideas when you are done. Next step? Implement them!

Feel better yet?