How To Persist Even When You’re Discouraged
by thelifecoach
Filed under Happiness & Success
When you’re feeling discouraged, it can seem that giving up is the most logical thing to do. This is because things always look worse, when we look at our circumstances with a discouraged mindset. A perfect example of this was a pastor who lived in New York, who was trying to get a book he had written published. It had already been rejected by numerous publishers and he was starting to lose hope that it would ever get published.
One morning he opened up yet another rejection letter from a publisher. With frustration and dejection, he threw his manuscript into the waste paper basket. In a voice filled with compassion, his wife Ruth said, “What are you doing?” He replied, “It’s hopeless. No one will ever publish my book.”
She reached down to retrieve his book from the trash can. He said, “I forbid you to touch it.” The next morning, without his knowledge, Ruth took the trash can, (with the book still inside) to another publisher. When Ruth introduced herself to the publisher, he looked with puzzlement at the trash can she was holding in her hand. She smiled and said, “My husband doesn’t want me to take his book out of the trash, but he won’t mind if you remove it.”
The publisher read the book, entitled “The Power Of faith” and agreed to publish it. At his suggestion, the title was changed to “The Power of Positive Thinking.” It went on to become the best-selling non-fiction book of all time (other than the Bible) with 20 million copies sold. The minister’s name was Norman Vincent Peale.
Dr. Peale almost let discouragement kill his dream. Fortunately, he learned from this experience the importance of persistence. Later on he wrote:
“I realized that I had actually been talking myself into a defeatist attitude and therefore into defeat itself. So I began saying good words, words like hope, belief, faith and victory. I used the powerful affirmation, ‘I can if I think I can.’”
“Remember the persistence principle: It’s always too early to quit.”
“Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.”
“Enthusiasm releases the drive to carry you over obstacles and adds significance to all you do.”
“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure.”
“A vital part of the happiness formula is self-discipline. Whoever conquers himself knows deep happiness that fills the heart with joy.”
