Does it ever feel like sometimes you work so hard to reach your goals, but with every one step forward, it feels like you just took two steps back? Sometimes it might even feel like no matter how hard you try to get ahead, you seem to be getting nowhere.
Perhaps you’ve even considered just giving up!
I’ll bet at some point in your life, you’ve gone through hardship and adversity. We all have.
Maybe you were looking for a job, and you went from interview to interview, and all you seem to get were “No’s”.
Maybe you were working hard on a very important project and you were 95% done, and without any warning at all, your computer crashed and you lost everything!
Or maybe you went through a really bad breakup and from there, everything just seemed to go downhill for you.
The fact is, we will all go through some struggle, some adversity, and problems in life. It’s part of the process. It’s part of life.
So what do you do when life knocks you down?
Here are 3 mindset shifts that will help you during your trying times.
1. You’ll never have more problems than you can handle.
Yes, you will be tested in life, as we all will. It’s up to you to have faith, patience, and trust that everything will work out just fine. Remember that everything that happens, happens for a reason, and that reason is there to serve you. So practice patience. Practice gratitude. Do not fall into despair and do not lose hope. Instead of dwelling on all the negative stuff, change the way you think. Think about your blessings and all the things that are going right for you, instead of all the things that are going wrong. Most of all believe that your trials and tribulations are temporary and that they too shall pass.
2. With every struggle, there is a reward.
If you think of some of your favourite celebrities, mentors, athletes, artists and business people, it might seem on the surface that these people are just “lucky”. That they were “at the right place, at the right time” or that everything comes easily to them. But in reality, in order to become the person they are today, they had to grow into becoming that person, which means they had to grow out of their comfort zone and have a higher vision for themselves. They had to overcome challenges and they did not give up at the first sign of struggle and hardship.
“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit” ~Napoleon Hill.
When facing adversity or times of great struggle, remind yourself that something great will come out of it. Keep persevering, stay focused, be patient and keep moving forward.
3. Know your why. Know your purpose.
What is it that you want for yourself, for your family, for your future? What are you truly passionate about? How do you want to contribute and give back? What are your goals your dreams? And why?
It’s very important that you take the time to discover what your purpose is and why. During times of hardship, your purpose and your why will be the reason that keeps you from quitting or giving up. Your purpose will guide you and hold you accountable.
If you look at any of your mentors, or successful people that have overcome enormous hardship, their sense of purpose gave them the courage and motivation to keep moving forward when they easily could have quit.
“Your why is gonna push you when you can't push yourself when you wanna quit and give up, your why is gonna give you that edge you need.” ~Eric Thomas
I’d love to hear what you do to keep yourself grounded and focused during difficult times. How do you handle adversity? Let us know in the comment section below.