Mike Edwards of One Strategies. PSA Positive Gold Kiwifruit Grower, Strategist, Marketer.

Failure, dissapointment, financial crisis... each of these things can debilitate us, causing us to give up, get angry, get depressed or all of the above.

One thing I have found to be absolutely essential in order to move towards a positive mindset is exercise.

It is common knowledge that a fit person has more energy. Fit people are more likely to fend off depression, they are more focused and can achieve more.

For myself personally my fitness is very directly linked to my state of mind.

The other thing I have found essential to do during hard times is to seek advice from people I trust.

I distinctly remember witnessing a colleague and good friend of mine go through a very difficult time (in business) a number of years back. I respected him as being someone much wiser than I and yet it seemed that during this time he became irrational and started making quite bad decisions fueled by thinking that was off track.

I noted at the time that he was not seeking advice from others and I believe this isolation resulted in some faulty thinking that drove him deeper into trouble.

Since then I have tried to place myself in front of others I respect during hard times. I highly value people who recognize when I am doing this and listen and advise well.

The other thing that helps me is to focus on what I can do today. Even if it one small simple action, I have learnt to ask myself what can I do this day.

I came across a couple of great quotes that relate to this the other day from @elyshemer http://www.facebook.com/elyshemer

1. 'The only difference between winners and losers is that winners take action.”
2. "You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind.”

Can you connect to this? What have you done to keep moving forwards in hard times? Please comment below.