"If things look hopeless, look and see if you aren't facing the wrong direction.'"

- James Everett

I've been fortunate in my life to have never felt a strong sense of hopelessness, although I have certainly been a witness to it. I've seen in both business and personal lives those who have reached a point of defeat with how they view their future. I'm not sure that I will ever reach such a point, but if I do, I'll first see if I'm actually facing the wrong direction. It seems as if this sense of hopelessness is fueled by looking back and giving too much credit to the darkness of the past, rather than looking to the future and seeing the bright light of possibility.

For the decade plus that I've been running a business, there certainly hasn't been a shortage of challenges which could have left me feeling hopeless. However, for each of those challenges, there have also been successes. I try to draw upon looking forward in the face of obstacles. By so doing, I get the energy to push through to achieve success. If you wallow in feeling defeated, you end up in a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.  

The same holds true in your personal life. No matter the number of challenges which are thrown your way, you must look forward to find the energy to overcome each obstacle. When you dwell on your past challenges, you can become hindered in facing those of the present. To help avoid feeling like you want to give up, keep focused on the positive possibilities and use them as the momentum for building a positive future.