Heeeey you!
I hope you have been doing well :)
Today’s post is a slight diversion from what I have been sharing these past few weeks. I wanted to take a little break off of talking about beauty and skincare. It’s super fun and I enjoy researching and creating that type of content, but I also LOVE AND VALUE REAL LIFE conversations and that’s what we gonna do today.
Let’s talk about discouragement for some time. I’m sure ALL of us have been discouraged by someone or a situation in the past, or you may be walking through such a season at the moment. Regardless, I’d like to send some encouragement your way.
It may have been a month or two ago, but there’s this lady I follow called Ashley Brown on IG, she coaches women to be high-earning housewives, meaning being able to contribute to the household income, while being the CEO of one’s home. Which I think is awesome! So, she did an Instagram live talking about discouragement and her own journey walking through it, I’ll leave the link here.
She shared a particular story talking about the way the enemy, Satan, uses discouragement as a tactic to derail believers from fulfilling the purposes the Lord has called them to. The story was like this...
So Satan had this shop and he was selling different things. These things were the tools that he uses to do his work on earth through people. So people would come in and buy stuff like envy for $100, or anger for $150 etc.
This guy comes in and browses around the shop, and finds an item that has no price tag. So he asks Satan the price, and Satan's says that that item is not for sale because it's his most used tool. The guy bargains to no avail and he says, "well, if you aren't going to sell it to me, can you at least tell me the name of the item?"
An evil grin forms across Satan's face, and he says, it called Discouragement. He also says that Discouragement is the tool that he uses to derail and demotivate people the most, when no other tool works.
The thing about discouragement, it’s like a leech that sucks out the passion, motivation and high hopes you had in something, it’s almost like having to grieve or mourn the loss of a dream you had. It can even make you not want to try or take action again, and settle for less.
It’s totally ok to feel that way, we all go through it. When you step out in faith, it's inevitable that there will be moments of discouragement, and to be honest, I’m currently walking through such a space. I’d like to share with you some tips that have helped and are helping me, and I hope they are helpful to you too! We’ll get through this together!
1. Lean in to your community/support system
ASK FOR HELP! Seriously!
Nobody is self-made. There are people around you and me, seen and unseen, without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today. e.g. your parents, friends, teachers, mentors etc.
Our natural wiring is to co-exist and live in community. We need each other. Put your pride aside and be willing to be vulnerable. It’s okay to say you don’t know something, it’s okay to admit that you worry that that thing won’t work out, and trust me, it feels so much better when you’re able to share that burden with someone else.
2. Go back to the drawing board and re-strategize
So let’s say you’ve began to take action towards your vision, but things just aren’t working and it’s discouraging. It may be time to take a step back and go back to the drawing board. Analyze your systems and methods. Do some research and learn from those who have gone before you, then try again.
I’ve seen this in my blogging journey, at times I would try something new for some time, and it wouldn’t take off as I would want. So, I go back to my systems and strategies, like what kind of content does my audience enjoy the most, or what’s the current algorithm on social media, and how can I co-operate with it without compromising on my authenticity? And such.
This makes you resilient and flexible, such that when things don’t work out, instead of being paralyzed with discouragement, you take action by re-strategizing.
3. Don’t give up!
It sounds sooo cliché but yea, don’t give up sis! See the work that you put in as seeds, See your faithfulness and diligence as water and fertilizer to make that plant grow. See the hard times as pruning seasons whereby leaves and branches that bear no fruit are cut off, so that those that do bear fruit, flourish to be healthy and strong. And finally, the fruit will appear and you’ll harvest your labor. A verse that encourages me not to give up when it gets tough is Galatians 6:9.
Let us not become weary in well doing, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
4. Even if you let go, be proud of yourself for fighting and holding on as long as you could
I get that at times the best decision to make is to just let go of something and move on. It may be the best decision to make for the sake of your mental health, finances or important relationships. No matter what you’ve done or you would have done, it’s best to release it,
Then do that.
Don’t beat yourself up and feel like a failure, give yourself a little pat on the back, because you fought hard and gave it everything. As you progress and more doors open, you’re not starting at zero anymore, you have gained capacity, wisdom and knowledge for that next step.
I hope this post left you feeling encouraged :). Also, remember to always lean on God during such times of discouragement. He is present, He is near and He cares for you ok?
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I’ll see you on the next one!
Xoxo
B.
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