It seems as though this year has been a series of speed bumps for everyone. My business focus has switched from helping my clients deal with change to keeping morale afloat after layoffs and bad news.

How do you maintain a positive attitude in tough times? If you make the following activities into habits, you may find you your road offers a much smoother ride.

First...
Keep the big picture in mind. Have a vision of what you are trying to create for yourself, not just for your business. Create your perfect work day one year from today. Include the details from the time you wake up to the moment you go to sleep. Keep this picture as your target when obstacles appear. Then make decisions based on what will bring you closer to your vision, not based on what were your expectations for a particular job or market direction. Resiliency requires the knowledge plus faith that you have what it takes to reach your goal regardless of how many times you have to change routes and means of travel.

Second...
Reframe what you hear and see. Perception is the meaning you assign to events. We tend to focus on the worst possible outcome instead of searching for the alternative path. When you buy a red car, you see many red cars on the road. Similarly, if you focus on the tight economy, you will only see struggle. Instead, spend a little time each acknowledging what you are grateful for. Appreciate cancellations for the time you can spend redoing your website and marketing plans (and for a moment to relax and be with family or friends). Trust that if you keep moving forward, you will come upon new opportunities. Everything will work out as it always does. From this point of view, you will see many options and find assistance along the way.

Third...
Remain focused. There is plenty of noise, from the news, your friends, your family and your paranoid brain that wants to distract you from your goals. Keep your vision—your payoff—in mind. Pin up photos and pictures from magazines that represent what you most value and what you most desire to create in your office and your home where you will see them daily. When you feel discouraged or afraid, smile at one of your pictures for inspiration. It feels great when you prove the cynics wrong.

Fourth...
Allow yourself to express emotion. Admit when you are scared. Then ask yourself what is the worst that can happen. Generally, you can live and rebuild from the worst, as unlikely as it is to happen. Admit to being discouraged. Then ask yourself what it will take to muster the energy to move on. Feeling emotions means you're alive. Channeling your emotions into positive results means you are courageous.

Fifth...
Believe. Watch movies and read stories about people who have overcome challenges. Last week, I watched "The Rookie" on video. My heart inflated with hope for my own big dreams to come true. Saturate your life with humorous and hopeful people.

Tough times are a fact of life. How you handle them is up to you. Cycles are also a fact of life, so wake up every day knowing that the upturn will come. The one constant in this wave can be you. Make optimism a habit and you'll stay in high gear no matter what.

Dr. Marcia Reynolds, author of Outsmart Your Brain, is the president of Covisioning, a coaching and training company focused on helping people and organizations access emotional intelligence and courage to reach their visions. You can read more about Marcia and her work at this website, www.outsmartyourbrain.com. Find out more about Marcia.