The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters.

If the recession is officially over (according to government statistics), why are you still down in the dumps? It may be your mindset. It is hard to see opportunity amidst high unemployment rates, tight credit, a slow housing market, and more. But the reality is that the recession has created a whole set of opportunities. Don't be preoccupied with the negatives. Instead, look for ways to grow and create competitive advantage. Has the recession hurt your competitors? How can you take advantage of the focus on sustainability? How are you planning to move into new markets? Think of the problems that the current economic environment creates and look for the opportunities they generate. This shift in mindset can help you beat the blues.

- Today's Management Tip was adapted from Do You Have the Postrecession Blues? by Ron Ashkenas.

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