One of the most immediate things you can do when you aren’t feeling particularly awesome is to acknowledge it. There is something powerful about acknowledging that there is something bothering you. Acknowledging that you have a gambling problem, or maybe a drug or alcohol problem, or an eating problem is usually the first step to recovery. After all, how can you fix something if you deny that anything needs to be fixed, right?

Part of being human is that we have emotions and a mind that runs in overdrive. We have an ego. These things are real parts of us that make us special. They have the ability to make us feel really awesome and amazing, but they also have the ability to make us sad and terrible. Well, these things aren’t going away anytime soon, so you may as well work with them to the best of your ability. The ego is there, so just acknowledge that it exists instead of letting it run the show. Sadness will come and go, acknowledge when those moments arise and feel through it.

There are moments when you are going to get upset, maybe at a coworker, maybe at a friend, maybe at a stranger. These things happen even if it wasn’t their fault, even if you were in the wrong. Its ok to acknowledge that, its ok to acknowledge you make mistakes. Its part of being human, its a part of the experience. We all make mistakes. I have made a couple at work this week. I made a big one last night. I was upset, sure, but I still needed to get things done. So I acknowledged it and moved on. One very powerful technique is The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well-being. Depending where you’re at in your life, it can seem really out there, especially if you don’t have an . But it works. Basically it involves acknowledgement, acceptance, and then letting go.

Acknowledgement is also a great way to take full responsibility of your actions. In essence, it is taking charge of your life, because, well, its your life!