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Discouragement is a loss of enthusiasm, confidence or hope

• Discouragement: A loss of confidence or enthusiasm; dispiritedness.  Oxford Dictionary
• Discouragement: A feeling of having lost hope or confidence.  Merriam Webster
• Despair,  Disappointment,  Sadness,  Depression, Rejection,  Criticism,  Failure,  Mistakes,  Obstacles, Adversity

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Discouragement is a stealing away of courage

• Discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage. Neal A. Maxwell
• I like the word “discourage” — it implies a stealing away of courage, a loss of courage. But do we ever really lose our courage, or is it just pushed down by something else for a while?  Tom Walsh
• Courage

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Discouragement can come from disappointment

• Depression begins with disappointment. When disappointment festers in our soul, it leads to discouragement. Joyce Meyer
• Disappointment

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However, while disappointment is inevitable, discouragement is a choice

• Disappointments will come and go, but discouragement is a choice that you make. Dr. Charles Stanley
• Nobody else can make us discouraged; it is a choice that we alone make when facing disappointments. Dr. Charles Stanley
• Discouragement can be temporary–or it can destroy our life. The choice is ours. If we refuse to deal with discouragement head-on, we are opening the door for it to completely dominate our life. Dr. Charles Stanley
• Trouble has no necessary connection with discouragement — discouragement has a germ of its own, as different from trouble as arthritis is different from a stiff joint.
• Choice

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Don’t allow failure to discourage you

• Don’t be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid. John Keats
• Do not be discouraged if your plans do not succeed the first time. No one learns to walk by taking only one step. Catherine Pulsifer
• Edison failed 10, 000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times. Napoleon Hill
• Don’t be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some. John Keats
• Failure,  Mistakes

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Don’t allow obstacles to discourage you

• History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heart-breaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats. Bertie C. Forbes
• Obstacles

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Don’t allow other people to discourage you

• Yes, people will discourage you, often unintentionally. But what do we do with that discouragement? Do we take it to heart and allow it to stop us from reaching our ultimate goal of spreading love, or do we polish it up and put it on a shelf with the rest of our discouragements, and move on with our lives, continuing to work towards our goals? Tom Walsh
• Everyone who shares their thoughts are brave individuals. It takes guts to let anyone, and everyone see inside your heart. We should never let anyone discourage us from our right to share. William Chapman
• Ignore people who tell you ‘you can’t’ or try to discourage you. Jeffrey Gitomer
• People who lack the clarity, courage, or determination to follow their own dreams will often find ways to discourage yours. Live your truth and don’t ever stop! Steve Maraboli
• Surround yourself with positive people

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Think of discouragement as a test of your mettle …

• I think a big test we all face in life on a regular basis is that discouragement test. Life’s not always fair, but I believe if you keep doing the right thing, God will get you to where you are. Joel Osteen
• Character

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… for how you handle discouragement is a measure of your strength and greatness

• Any man can work when every stroke of his hands brings down the fruit rattling from the tree … but to labour in season and out of season, under every discouragement… that requires a heroism which is transcendent. Henry Ward Beecher
• Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. Thomas Carlyle
• Strength,  Greatness

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How you handle discouragement will determine your success …

• History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats. B.C. Forbes
• Would you like me to give you a formula for… success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You’re thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all you can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember that’s where you’ll find success. On the far side. Thomas J. Watson
• Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end, you are sure to succeed. Abraham Lincoln
• Success

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… for every great accomplishment is on the far side of discouragement

• Every great work, every great accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement comes apparent failure and discouragement. Florence Scovel Shinn
• Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.
• Achievement

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Use discouragement as a stepping stone to success

• Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. Dale Carnegie
• I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. Thomas A. Edison
• Success

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Allow difficulties and problems to rouse you, not discourage you

• Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow by conflict. William E. Channing
• The experienced mountain climber is not intimidated by a mountain–he is inspired by it. The persistent winner is not discouraged by a problem–he is challenged by it. Mountains are created to be conquered; adversities are designed to be defeated; problems are sent to be solved. It is better to master one mountain than a thousand foothills. William Arthur Ward
• Defeat should never be a source of discouragement but rather a fresh stimulus. Robert South
• Challenge,  Adversity

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Transcend discouragement through persistence and determination

• However barren it might seem to begin a task, never be discouraged. With perseverance, you will come to like what today seems a needless and uninteresting enterprise. Princess Mathilde Bonaparte
• Continuous, unflagging effort, persistence and determination will win. Let not the man be discouraged who has these. James Whitcomb Riley
• Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. Thomas Carlyle
• The most essential factor is persistence – the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come. James Whitcomb Riley
• When discouraged some people will give up, give in or give out far too early. They blame their problems on difficult situations, unreasonable people or their own inabilities. When discouraged other people will push back that first impulse to quit, push down their initial fear, push through feelings of helplessness and push ahead. They’re less likely to find something to blame and more likely to find a way through. Steve Goodier
• Don’t accept discouragement, keep going! Less stress will result by not allowing discouragement to be your attitude! Catherine Pulsifer
• Determination,  Perseverance

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Transcend discouragement by realising that nothing is impossible with the right mind-set

• Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That’s not the place to become discouraged. Thomas Edison
• Never say that you can’t do something, or that something seems impossible, or that something can’t be done, no matter how discouraging or harrowing it may be; human beings are limited only by what we allow ourselves to be limited by: our own minds. We are each the masters of our own reality; when we become self-aware to this: absolutely anything in the world is possible. Master yourself, and become king of the world around you. Let no odds, chastisement, exile, doubt, fear, or ANY mental virii prevent you from accomplishing your dreams. Never be a victim of life; be its conqueror. Mike Norton
• Attitude,  Hope,  Optimism

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Transcend discouragement through goals that are both challenging and realistic

• Goals should be difficult to achieve because those achieved with little effort are seldom appreciated, give little personal satisfaction, and are often not very worthwhile. However, if you set goals that are so idealistic there’s no possibility of reaching them, you will eventually become discouraged and quit. They become counter- productive. Be a realistic optimist. John Wooden

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Transcend discouragement through patience

• Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success. Brian Adams
• Patience

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Transcend discouragement by rededicating yourself after the lapses

• I rededicate and re-devote myself again and again after the inevitable lapses and periods of dullness and inactivity. Before any real growth and stability appears, I will lose faith, get discouraged, doubt, feel sorry for myself, and wonder if anything will happen. Does this mean I have lost my path? No, not at all – this IS the path. I learn to swim, not just with the current, but against the tide as well. This is not a journey for the timid or frail. I have an infinite amount of compassion for myself. I pick myself up again and again. Everything is as it should be. John Kehoe
• Commitment

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Transcend discouragement through a positive attitude

• How you look at a situation is very important, for how you think about a problem may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. When you get discouraged or depressed, try changing your attitude from negative to positive and see how life can change for you. Remember, your attitude toward a situation can help you to change it — you create the very atmosphere for defeat or victory. Franco Harris
• Seeds of discouragement will not grow in the thankful heart.
• Attitude,  Hope,  Optimism

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Transcend discouragement through the encouragement of a mentor or friend

• We all have the tendency to believe self-doubt and self-criticism, but listening to this voice never gets us closer to our goals. Instead, try on the point of view of a mentor or good friend who believes in you, wants the best for you, and will encourage you when you feel discouraged. Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D.
• Encouragement,  Friendship

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Transcend discouragement through good work habits

• Good work habits help develop an internal toughness and a self-confident attitude that will sustain you through every adversity and temporary discouragement. Paul J. Fleyer
• Work,  Habit

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Transcend discouragement through positive affirmations

• Negative beliefs cannot simply be erased, they need to be replaced. Try taking one thought that you frequently have and that you know is making you unhappy or discouraged. Create an affirmation to reframe that thought into a positive and powerful phrase.  Amanda Harvey
• Affirmation

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Transcend discouragement through prayer

• The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’” Billy Graham
• Prayer

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Be known as someone who encourages, not someone who discourages

• Never discourage anyone…who continually makes progress, no matter how slow. Plato
• Whether or not we realize it each of us has within the ability to set some kind of example for people. Knowing this, would you rather be the one known for being the one who encouraged others, or the one who inadvertently discouraged those around you? Josh Hinds
• You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world’s happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime. Dale Carnegie

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• Don’t be discouraged if your children reject your advice; years later they will offer it to their offspring.
• What makes resisting temptation difficult for many people is they don’t want to discourage it completely. Franklin Jones

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