How to Handle Discouragement When You’re Dreaming Big
We all feel discouraged at times. Especially if you have some big dreams and expectations, you’re bound to have setbacks. You feel like you’re working hard, going in the right direction…and then SMACK. A roadblock. They can come in many forms. But you know when you’ve hit one.
Or maybe you feel like you’re working hard and you’re not really getting anywhere. You’re just spinning your wheels over and over and never gaining traction.
It can feel depressing. Hopeless. You’ll probably feel like it’s not worth it. Your mind might start coming up with all kinds of reasons why it’s OK for you to quit. It becomes easier to justify giving up.
How to Handle Being Discouraged
So, what to do?
Well, this is situational. But start by writing down your “why.”
Why did you start on this journey in the first place? What do you have to gain from continuing? What would the future you tell yourself if he or she were successful and looking back?
I’ve been discouraged this week.
I’ve had to write down my why this week.
My usual positive self has been feeling a bit defeated. Even though I am working towards my goals every day, my progress has been slow in many areas. Sometimes I feel as though it’s not worth the effort. But you know what…
It is!
Motivation will come and go
You might not always feel motivated. Some days you will reread that list of “whys” in an effort to motivate yourself into action and it just won’t happen. But we base our decisions on these negative emotions, we will never accomplish anything worthwhile.
I believe that is why you hear cliches like “Perseverance is the key to success.” They become maxims like that for a reason. They are TRUE! Persevere through your hard time. You might be closer than you think to your goal. Either way, you aren’t getting any closer by giving up.
I love this quote by Martin Luther King Jr:
“If you can’t fly, then run.
If you can’t run, then walk.
If you can’t walk, then crawl,
But whatever you do,
You have to keep moving forward.”
It reminds me to do what I can where I am with what I have. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect today for me to move forward. If I’m struggling through a hard time, I can focus on just taking one step forward.
If you’re discouraged
If you’re struggling and close to giving up, remember why you started working towards your goal. If your reasons remain and are still valuable, then persevere.
Keep moving forward, step by step. It’s not OK to give up just because it’s hard. Everything worth doing is hard at times. But the good news is, you can do hard things! You are capable of more than you realize. The only way to know what you can do is to push through the hard times. You may just pleasantly surprise yourself.
Don’t miss this post to find out what 10 books that have drastically changed my life.
What is a goal that you’ve been working on? What are some stumbling blocks you have experienced or might experience in the future? Are you going through some now? How can remembering why you started help you to push through?
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