Is bad luck pig-piling on top of you? Maybe you've been losing at the blackjack table all night. Maybe you've been having a bad week at work. Heck, maybe you've been in a rut for a year or two lamenting some problem. How do you break that losing streak? Is it even possible?

Of course it's possible. Let me say that again in another way. Yes, it's possible, but you've got to want it all the way down in your boots. You must kick yourself in the butt. However, there are a few steps you should probably take before doing so. Here's what to do:

1. What's the Problem? You've got to clearly identify what is wrong. This is the first and biggest hurdle. So often we think the problem is one thing when in reality it is really something else. And to take it a step further, usually we think the problem is being caused by others when in reality it's what is going on inside of us that is the root issue. Try and think about it rationally even though your mind wants to think "victim, poor-me, this always happens to me" etc. Tell your "victim self" that you can come back to those feelings later. Pay attention to these questions:

• What is the real problem?
• Have I been getting enough rest lately?
• Is my job affecting my home life? How about vice versa?
• Is there something physically causing an energy drain such as an illness, hormones, or other situations?
• Are there physical inputs that are stealing my good energy such as too much booze, tobacco, caffeine, or sugar?
• What am I thinking that keeps me in this pattern?
• What am I doing that keeps me in this pattern?

2. Release the Energy. You're probably feeling a strong current of emotions whether it is sadness, anger, frustration, despair, fear etc. You need to find a constructive outlet for this energy. You can't just try to ignore it. You need to channel it in a way that sets you up for success. With dark emotions, it is best to release them. They are there to teach you something. You can only learn from them when you let them out. So try one of two methods. The first is talking to a very positive person, one who will do two important things: 1) Listen to you without judgment, letting you cry if need be, and 2) help you uncover your blind spots and refocus you on positive solutions. (In fact you may want to state up front that that is what you need from them!) The other option is to do this for yourself via journaling. Write out all your feelings. Cry it out. Pound it out on the couch. Or take a good brisk 30 minute walk. Even if you don't feel like it, do it!

3. Solutions, Solutions, Solutions. Like I mentioned in another recent article, you need to focus on solutions in order to change your situation. Once you've gotten rid of the toxic feelings, now you're ready to straighten up and think about what you can control. Start with what you want and work backwards.

Example Story
I remember one coworker that I liked a lot would always come to me and say "Did you see that Suzy-Q just got promoted? Doesn't that stink?" And I'd say "Joe, what is it that YOU want? Don't worry about Suzy-Q." But Joe could never tell me what HE wanted. All he focused on was being irritated at others getting ahead. He was smart, competent, and personable. But he had no plan and so he always felt bad. Even if Joe had come to the conclusion, "I want to stay in my current role for a long time. I want to do a great job and get a raise each year," then he could have felt good about his situation. So think in terms of what you want, and it doesn't always have to be climbing a ladder. Define it in terms of what you want, not what you think you should want.

Boil your desires down to the essentials, the most important things. What if you had only one year to live? What would be important then? Come up with a plan to get there. Drop the rest of the crap you think you need to be doing. Get help from someone else that is good at that kind of thing if it will help you. Don't be shy. People love to help. For example, I'm terrible at tidying. In the past I would just suffer with my clutter. Now, I call on either my sister, my mom, or even my son who are all good at this kind of thing and it gets fixed in no time. Just do it!

4. Break Out! At some point you have to just bust out a can of "Whoop-Your-Butt" and start moving in a different direction. Take the first thing on your solution list and just do it. Then take the next thing on your list and just do it. Don't wait until you feel motivated. It's not going to happen. The motivation will come after you've taken some action. If you can't get yourself to take action on your plan then take yourself for a walk. Move to some music. Get the blood pumping, get some fresh new oxygen to your lungs, and fire up the endorphins for some of nature's feel-good, fat-free, perfectly-legal drugs! Now when you return, take that first step, then another, and another. Follow the yellow brick road. The wizard waiting in Emerald City is YOU! And you've got the power to make your dreams come true!

5. The Quick Fix. Just to get back to our gambling example from the beginning. For short term losing streaks like this, simply jump right to the part where you "kick yourself in the pants." You need to physically and mentally interrupt your patterns to break out of a losing streak. A physical interruption will facilitate the mental interruption. Walk away from the gambling table. Get away from your desk. Just do something else and then you'll be able to think more clearly about a solution.

Good Luck!

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