Have you ever asked someone “how are you doing?” only for the reply to come after a long, deep sigh?

Or have you ever answered that way?

Let me hit you with some stats:

• Less than one-third (31.5%) of U.S. workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014.
• 52% of people are “unhappy” at work.
• 76% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
• 35% of Americans have debt in collections.

I could go on and on with stats like those listed. There is a real struggle happening. Too many people are Barely Surviving. They have become okay with the status quo, which in my mind is the equivalent of Barely Surviving.

Is this you?

Barely Surviving is a mindset. Symptoms of Barely Surviving can be apathy, fear, worry, doubt, lack of focus, lack of drive, indecision or even burnout. It’s become so detrimental that I decided it deserved to be capitalized.

Perhaps you are wondering: How did I get here? To a place of Barely Surviving?

You see there is no such thing as “all of a sudden” in life. You don’t all of a sudden become unhappy. Nor do you all of a sudden fall into massive debt. You don’t all of a sudden become disengaged in your job.

All of these things mentioned are a direct result of the choices you have made over time. You can choose to be happy. You choose to be engaged in your job. You choose to go into debt.

Don’t believe me?

Think about the last time you complained about your job? What if instead of wasting that energy complaining, you worked to become more engaged? What if you tried to be a part of the solution? But instead of being a solution or trying to become more engaged, we make excuses. It is far easier though to blame your boss. Maybe you don’t realize that you are your most important boss!

What about the last time you bought something you didn’t need? Perhaps you put it on a credit card? How about when you decided to buy a new car because your old one needed a little work? A large car payment is more debt. You made the choice to be in debt.

Understanding the power of choice enhances our awareness, attitude, action and responsibility needed to avoid Barely Surviving. How do you avoid Barely Surviving?

1. Commit to your own personal growth. This means investing in yourself. This is the most important responsibility leaders have and it is the only real investment with a guaranteed return. It has been said that leaders must invest 3 percent of your income back in themselves (through books, programs, conferences, etc). I would say it should be 10 percent. How much of your income do you invest in yourself?
2. Clearly define your goals. Perhaps you are unhappy or you lack drive right now. That could be because your vision for your future is unclear or perhaps you don’t have a vision. If you don’t have a list of written goals with target dates and plans of action, you have no goals. Without goals, you will Barely Survive.
3. Surround yourself with people that build you up, not ones who bring you down. Negative people, ones who are Barely Surviving themselves, will rub off on you. Negativity can spread quick so it’s best to avoid it from the start. Avoid the “yea-buts” in your life. Those are people who constantly respond to something you are passionate about with, yea but…
4. Seek out opportunities to change. People who are Barely Surviving hate change. They live in fear of it. But most change is good! Change and growth go hand-in-hand. If you do what you have always done, you will be who you have always been. We are called to be better than the person we have always been. We are called to strive to be great every single day.
5. Choose today to be happy. Wake up every morning, look in the mirror and make the choice to be happy that day. “Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling.” – Margaret Lee Runbeck

All of the above are easy to do, but they are just as easy to forget about. You control whether or not you are Barely Surviving. It’s time to get out of the rut. Get out of that comfort zone. Commit to your own growth, clarify your goals and choose to be happy.

Remember how lucky you are to be alive. Count your blessings because they are many. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Choose today to quit Barely Surviving and Be the Boss of your life!