Many a football coach has said it isn’t the number of times you get knocked down that counts, it’s how quickly you get back up. True enough. Sometimes we are the ones who put ourselves on the ground, and we tend to keep ourselves there for long periods. Most of us have experienced the "blues" or downright depression because we personally don't feel we are accomplishing all the things that we should. And to compound the problem we are constantly bombarded with TV commercials telling us we deserve a new; perhaps a car or a vacation to a far off island. The message is sometimes subtle, but it is clear we must have we begin to think more and more about ourselves and our personal needs.

To some extent, most of us have experienced much of what I'm talking about. Our expectations about ourselves and what we should have accomplished, coupled with external messages about ‘the good life’ just don't seem to calculate. The result is we become even more depressed.

What is surprising is the pervasiveness of this emotional downward spiral. I've talked to many sales people and sales executives and to a person they tell me that they have experienced total depression at one time or another in their careers either because they lost a big account in their territory or they spent too much time away from their families. Certainly the combination of meeting goals and travel take a heavy toll.

Again, like football, the solution is found in the fundamentals. Today no one can sit around very long feeling sorry for themselves and expect to be successful. In-action is the kiss of mediocrity, which turns out in the long run to be failure. So that leaves us with the question of what are the actions we should take to get ourselves out of this negative malaise? First, take an inventory of what is right. Think about the good stuff. Things like having a job that gives you freedom and income are too often taken for granted.

Second, focus on your health! Are you getting enough sleep, are you exercising enough and do you eat the right foods. You know what I'm talking about. Being a road warrior can kill you if you don’t care for yourself. Certainly bad health can reduce productivity.

Third, be alert to your competition. Know what they are doing and then balance that out with proactive approaches about what you and your company are doing.

Fourth, hard work has its own curative powers. The work place can be cruel if you don’t show up in top form every day. That really is the secret of success. Being more alert and smarter than your competitors will take you a long way toward a positive attitude that won't quit.

Finally, smile, darn it, smile! Stop worrying about you and start worrying about your customers. By being focused on them and their problems, which you can help solve, you will get your attention where it belongs. I know it sounds cliché, but after all, they are the ones that need what you have to offer to make themselves successful. They are counting on you to be there for them! Amazingly, when they succeed, you will be amazed about how your attitude improves.

It’s normal for all of us to experience depression from time to time. However, it isn’t normal to stay depressed. Give these steps a try and stay focused on the fundamentals.