Every now and then I like to share with others information and articles which I have read and found great value.

Here is Part One of a series done in Success Magazine by Leadership Expert, John C. Maxwell on life challenges.

Discouragement

Everyone gets discouraged. Sydney Harris said, “When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life’s hard,’ I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?’ ”Not everyone responds to discouragement in the same way. In regard to discouragement, there are two kinds of people in the world: splatters and bouncers. Splatters hit rock bottom, fall apart and stick to the bottom like glue. Bouncers hit rock bottom, pull themselves back together and bounce back up. The question is: Are you going to give up or get up? It’s a choice.

Here are a few suggestions that will help you bounce when you experience discouragement.

• Get the right perspective. You don’t have to look very far to see that you have it pretty good.
• See the right people. In Winning with People, I talk about the Elevator Principle. There are some people who lift you up and some people that bring you down. When you are discouraged, you need to go find yourself a lifter!
• Say the right words. In his excellent work, Spiritual Depression: Its Cause and Cure, Dr. Lloyd Martyn Jones wrote, “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself?” Remarkable? Think about it. You wake up in the morning, and right away, there are streams of thought coming into your mind. You haven’t invited them; you didn’t ask for them; you are not consciously doing anything to produce them; they just come. Instead of compliantly listening to them, start telling yourself the positive, difference-making words you need to hear.