How I think about Discouragement - Part 3

#3: Discouragement is a Choice.

I gotta be honest with you, I don't like this one, b/c it hits me square between the eyes but it's no less true. Discouragement really is a choice. When discouragement knocks at our door, we ultimately choose to let it in. Here are a few ways I've found to not let discouragement get the best of me...

• Focus on What IS going right. Everyday somethings go right. We just choose not to see them or celebrate them. Learning to celebrate the right things is a discipline of leadership that we must develop.

• Get back to what makes you feel strong. Nothing breaks discouragement off my life like doing something that makes me feel strong. For me it's writing, reading, speaking or coaching another leader. When I do those things, discouragement melts away! I feel useful again.

• Find a place to win. Sometimes the best thing you can do is find a place where you can win. Again, it doesn't have to be a huge win, it just has to be a win. When you feel discouraged, stop, look around and find a place where you can win.

Where do you need to make a different choice when it comes to feeling discouraged?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

How I think about Discouragement - Part 2

#2: Discouragement is Temporary.

The best thing to remember when discouragement hits is that it's not forever! I have adopted a phase that says, "Don't worry, Matt, it won't look like this forever." When I was a kid I used to love watching these painter guy on PBS after school. Inevitably he would start whatever he was painting with some horrible shade of gray or tan. I can remember thinking, "What are you doing? That's gonna look horrible!" But somehow, within a few minutes he had turned that clump of gray into a cool picture.

Discouragement is a snapshot, not a whole picture. When we're in a season of discouragement it's easy to begin thinking that this is the whole picture of your life. What we must remember is that it's just a snapshot, not the whole thing. Don't be too quick to judge your entire life by one snapshot. That would be like summarizing someone's life by their Kindergarten picture. There's no way it could or should be done.

Where have you been tempted to Over-estimate your life in light of a discouraging season you find yourself in?

Just a bloggish thought,

matt