Don't Give Up!

I've been listening to Joel Osteen's audio book, "Break Out."  It's fantastic and I highly recommend it!  The section I listened to today in the car is the inspiration behind today's blog post. 

Most people have to "go through" many no's and rejections before their dreams come true, or before they hear a "yes."  Keep going!  Don't get discouraged! 

Joel talked about how our "Yes!" is coming.  Don't give up.  

           

Joel asked if you knew you had to go through 20 "no's" in order to get to your "yes" -- be it rejections in relationships, rejections for a new job or position, rejections for a book proposal... whatever -- would you proceed through those 20 "no's" to get to your "yes?" 

I'm sure you'd say Yes to that!  I know I would. 

The hard part is not knowing.  We don't know if we'll have 3 no's, 15 no's, 100 no's... so each time we get a new "no," it can be disheartening.

But remember this.... ALL of us have to deal with this fact of life.  So you're not alone! 

The key is keeping your dream in the forefront of your mind.  Remember why you want it.  Keep the passion alive. 

                                            

         
It doesn't matter how many people tell you "no."  How many rejections you face.  How "improbable" it is.  If the dream is in your heart, it CAN and WILL come to fruition! 

I have always believed this, and Joel Osteen believes it too.  One of the stories he shared in the "Break Out" chapter was about an actress who went to countless auditions and kept hearing "no."  But she wanted badly to be an actress, so she didn't give up.  Eventually, she got a part in a hit TV series of the time.  And when she was asked how many auditions she went to, being rejected at each one, before getting that break-out part, she estimated thousands! 

Can you imagine?  Getting told thousands of times "no," but continuing on anyway? 

But that's what we're here to do.  Life isn't always easy.  How badly do you want what you say you want?

Before I sign off for today, I'll share something that's worked for me.  Something that has helped me turn around my negative thoughts and get back on the positive track. 

Affirmations.

They work for me, plain and simple. 

All of us have thought patterns that go around and around in our heads.  That little voice that says, "You can't," "You won't," "You don't deserve it," "It won't happen for you."  We all have it.  In order to get past that voice, we have to create a new thought pattern.  Replace the old, negative one with a new, positive one.  That's where affirmations come in. 

Over three years ago I felt ready for a long-term relationship.  I had been single for years, and prior to that, my longest relationship was just 6 months consecutively.  I felt ready for more.  Yet I didn't know if a long-term relationship was in the cards for me.  I mean, after all, I hadn't had one yet, so who's to say if I ever would?  (Note: I was in my early 30s at this point, and most of my friends were already married, with children.) 

So I created an affirmation that stated what I wanted.  It went like this:
"I'm so happy and grateful now that I'm in a fun, loving, happy, long-term, romantic relationship with an amazing man, who's crazy about me." 

> Affirmations should be short enough that you can remember them easily, and repeat them many times if needed. 
> They also need to be in the present tense.  State it like it's already here.
> Starting with "I'm so happy and grateful now that..." sets the scene perfectly for an affirmation.  

I said it countless times.  When I was walking my dogs and the thoughts would creep in... "I might be single forever," I'd replace it with the affirmation.  Usually repeating it multiples times in a row. 

*Note: When you're saying affirmations, you've got to create a groove in your brain.  That's why multiple repetitions help.  You've got to believe it.  Even if you don't 100% believe it the first time you say it, convince yourself.  Repeating something over and over and over again is a proven way to change your thoughts and actually convince yourself of something. 

Anyway, after a few weeks of repeating my affirmation I did meet someone.  "The" person.  It works. 

So now I'm trying a new affirmation.  My current challenge is in my professional life.  I'm building a new business.  I have thoughts all the time of not being good enough, of no one hiring me, etc. 

Last night I sat down and created a new affirmation for myself.  I wrote it on a dry-erase board in my bathroom.  I'm getting into the habit of repeating it, just like I did for the relationship affirmation. 

What is it that you want?  What's your dream for yourself? 

Whether it's a relationship-based dream, professional-based dream, or anything else.  Jot down a few sentences that sum up, honestly, what it is that you want.  Don't worry about being pretentious or "not deserving" it, or being conceited.  What do you want?  Write it down. 

Then condense the individual sentences into a single phrase, that will become your easy-to-repeat affirmation. 

I was going to keep mine private, but I've decided to share it. 

My initial sentences of "what I want" were these (copied directly from my notepad):
I have an abundant income.
I'm a successful and sought-after copywriter.
I command high fees.

Now to put this in perspective for you, I have yet to get my first client as a copywriter.  I'm brand new to this business.  Yet, I believe it can and will happen for me.

Condensing those sentences above, here is my new affirmation:

"I'm so happy and grateful now that I have an abundant income and command high fees as a highly sought-after copywriter." 

What's yours?  I'd love to hear it in the comments below. 

But whether you share it or not, if you have a dream in your heart that you have yet to realize... consider trying affirmations.  And whatever you do, don't give up!