There is an old saying that I grew up with which is "Adversity builds character." Now there is a commercial on TV that says it isn't the adversity that builds the character, it is how we deal with it that builds character. Either way you slice it, adversity not only builds character, but can lead to feelings of discouragement. Feeling discouraged at times is human nature, letting those feelings overcome you and rule your life is not healthy. There are things that you can do to over come those feelings of discouragement and beat the tough issues that are facing you.

It is important then to NOT let these negative feelings, this discouragement rule our everyday lives. We must take back control. We must be responsible for our lives and what is happening in them. YOU feel the way you do because YOU WANT to. Yes, that is right. You are feeling sad and discouraged and down trodden because right now, that is how you want to feel. Because if you didn't you wouldn't be. It is time for you to realize that you have the power and the control over your thoughts and emotions.

Yes, there are times when this is difficult. If life was easy what fun would it be? We must be faced with challenges, for they give us the opportunity to grow. Once you stop growing you have stopped living. Do you give up, or do you dust yourself off and try again.

I would like to think the latter is your answer. How many tries did it take for you to ride a bike with out training wheels? How long before you could not only climb up the tree, but get out without screaming for help. That one I had to learn fast, because my dad's response was always, "You got up there now how are you getting down?"

So I ask you now, you fell down so how are you going to get back up? I am going to help you a little here by offering you a few steps you can follow so that once you get up from this fall, you may never fall again.

The first step is for you to become self aware. By this I mean that you need to know why you are feeling the way you are, the cause and how you can to stop it. I already told you the feelings of discouragement that you are battling right now you have because you want them. It is easier to give up and feel sorry for ourselves then to realize that we can change it. Acceptance is passive, requires less energy. You need to rebel and fight those feelings. Once you over come them or stop them, you will be amazed at the energy you have.

Now, step two is taking responsibility. Am I telling you that it is your fault that you failed? No. I am telling you that you are letting this setback rule the rest of your life. Everyday is a new day, filled with new opportunities to help you make life better. Are you going to throw all of those away because of what happened yesterday? Oh, wait, don't try to tell me that it wasn't only yesterday; your whole life has been one setback after another. That is because you believed that is what your life was supposed to be so you let it be.

I'd like you to look back at all of the good in your life, no matter how small it seems, and make a quick little list. Got it, now look out into the world, or up into the sky and say "Thank you, I am grateful for what I have." I want you to say that five times a day after you go over the list of things that you have to be happy for.

After five days of doing this, I now want you to make a list of what you want. Be precise, don't say "I want the promotion," say exactly what you want. "I want to be the VP of the company." Don't say "I want to be free of debt," instead say "I want to have enough money." You can go as far as saying a dollar amount. Make sure that on this list you include that fact that "I am strong" and "I am in control." Now on top of being grateful five times a day everyday, spend 15 minutes in the morning, before getting out of bed thinking about the list of things that you want.

If you follow these simple steps, you will overcome discouragement. You will not only feel encouraged, you will feel in charge and happy and satisfied with all in your life. The stress will be less, the joys will be more. You just need to follow those steps each day.