We all know that attitude can have a big impact on performance. Many of us learn this lesson as children. Just think of the illustrated children’s book, “The Little Engine That Could,” which delivers a message of the value of optimism and hard work.

Oftentimes you know you should feel optimistic, but instead you feel burned out, beaten down, stressed or pressured. This is when it can be tempting to quit or make excuses. However, neither option is helpful, so what should you do?

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to regain your perspective and footing.

Practice self-awareness. What messages are you telling yourself about the situation? Know your own feelings, motives and desires and be aware that these feelings often affect your behavior. Consider how a positive attitude about a project affects your communication with team members or your willingness to take action.

Reframe negative feelings. If you’re feeling pessimistic about something, take a step back and ask yourself, “How is my negativity serving me?” By asking yourself this, you might be able to reboot and reframe your feelings in a positive manner. For instance, maybe you are in a meeting and catch yourself thinking, “None of my ideas are any good.” When you pause to consider if this inner talk is helpful, you force yourself to analyze your thoughts. Perhaps you will realize you are over-generalizing and taking an extreme stance with all-or-nothing thinking. In addition, you are shutting down your own creativity. This type of thinking does not serve you well. It is much better to keep an open mind and support yourself by considering how some of your ideas might work.

Avoid making excuses. Look out for statements like “It’s too difficult,”  “The media climate is challenging,” or “I don’t have enough information.” Know that excuses are a form of resistance. When you make an excuse, you are resisting accountability.

Focus on the things you can control. For a daunting task, start off by making a list of all the actions you can take. Analyze and prioritize that list and consider how you can excel at the activities within your control. For instance, I cannot control whether an editor will publish an article that I write. However, I can come up with a compelling story idea, brainstorm proof points and infuse my article with interesting statistics and anecdotes. Focusing on these things will increase the probability the editor will accept my article – ultimately allowing me to achieve success.

J.P. Pawliw-Fry, a training and performance expert and coach, told HR Magazine, “When we are too attached to an outcome, we tighten up. We lose the ability to execute. Rather than outcome, keep people focused on the ‘integrity of inputs’ – the things they can control. This makes them feel more confident and increases their chances of delivering a good performance.”

Finally, remember you need to manage your stress because often emotions are infectious. Leaders’ and individuals’ emotions can spread to teams, affecting their attitudes and performance as a whole.

For more on this topic, check out:

Seven Signs You’re Not As Self-Aware as You Think

Seven Ways to Ace That PR Agency Interview

Lessons Learned from the Seahawks’ Dramatic Comeback