John R. Hatfield BraveManSociety Disappointments will come and go but discouragement is a choice you make. Charles Stanley Discouragement “A loss of confidence, or enthusiasm, dispiritedness” Oxford “Demoralization, despair, disheartenment, despondency” Merriam “Beat down, overwhelmed with the problem and pressure” Merriam As you can see from these definitions of discouragement it can be overwhelming, especially if the duration is over a long period of time. During the downturn of the economy in 2008, I was let go from a six figure, twenty-seven-year career. It was devastating to say the least. The discouragement brought about a debilitation as the years marched forward without a career. “It is a curtain of doubt that falls on us when our optimism over a certain outcome was ripped away.” Mary Rooney As a man, I gained lots of identity and affirmation from my skill set and talent in my job performance and in a blink of an eye it was gone. Discouragement and second guessing myself along with a loss of confidence brought me to a screeching halt. After four long, hard, miserable, empty, years of diligently looking for a career job it brought me to a defining moment. The origin of the word discouraged is courage that is taken away The choice was mine, I could either pick myself up from the knock down blow, stare down fear and reinvent myself or I could stay knocked down, discouraged, and demoralized becoming depressed. My personality was, oh hell no, get up John and get your butt in the game, call out the courage that lives within you. I’m here today, knocked down several times in the journey, understanding and experiencing resilience and now established in a new career. Toughest long march I’ve ever been on. I credit my wresting days of sacrifice, self-discipline, and a never give up emotional mentality along with my faith in God that carried me through. Discouragement made me resilient, made me better because of the lessons I learned in the fog of despair. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest steppingstones to success.” Dale Carnegi “Your present circumstance doesn’t determine where you can go, they merely determine where you start.” Nido Quebin “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” Michael Jordan 1) You start questioning and doubting yourself. 2) You feel embarrassed and ashamed that this is happening to you. 3) You feel like a loser. 4) An attitude of giving up, you don’t give a damn anymore, you’re done, you don’t want to stay in the fight. 5) You become depressed and lose perspective. 6) Shame as your self-image is tied to it. 7) You just want to run away, hide, leave, disassociate yourself from the never-ending pain. 8) You want to self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, sex, and sleep. 9) You create a false persona, lose your true identity. 10) Lack the energy or ambition to do anything, become depressed. “Don’t give up, normally it is the last key on the ring which opens the door.” Paulo Coelho “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Our attitude is everything.” Chuck Swindoll “When discouragement comes, don’t stop, dig deep, and fight it through.” T B Joshua “When suffering, pain, shattering, and the hardships of life happen, some are defeated and discouraged but the resilient become strong in the face of adversity.” John R. Hatfield “There are some defeats more triumphant than victories.” Michael De Montaigne “Failure is always a part of success.” John R. Hatfield BraveManSociety Jrhfield@gmail.comCauses of Discouragement?
Ways Discouragement Affects You?
Things One Does to Rise Above Discouragement
Lessons I Learned When I Was Overwhelmed in the Haze of Discouragement.
Reflection
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Discouragement
