3 steps to find hope when everything seems lost

It’s easy to go on when there’s a fire burning inside of you and you feel passionate, excited and devoted and you know your purpose - without these, you feel lost and everything falls apart and you feel empty. How do you come back from a place like that?

1 Just keep going

We all experience loss. It’s something we all need to go through. Feeling sad and disheartened is a natural reaction and the support and encouragement of your friends and family might feel totally useless. You know they love you and are trying to help but it’s really hard to hear those words when you’re in pain. It’s hard to see them trying to be positive when you’ve just been through something terrible. It’s OK to feel that way. It’s OK to see things in black and white for a while. But you know there will be a day when you can simply accept that things are the way they are and you’ll be ready to move on.

It might help to think about all those other times you felt defeated - when you thought you could not go on but you did and you got to experience wonderful things. This is just like that. You might not feel that way but you don’t have to change how you feel - just let life surprise you. Go on with your life and try to open yourself up to new things. Try not to reject everything and give tomorrow a chance to bring a smile on your face.

2 Take the lead

Motivation is not something that just happens to you - you are your own motivator. You need to find a reason to go on, only you can give meaning to your life - the same is true for giving up. It’s all in your hands. When you give up on your life, it all feels very unsettling for it’s not you who’s calling the shots anymore and it will make you feel like you’re a sheep without a shepherd. A meaningless life will leave you feeling uneasy and scared for every human needs a destination that keeps them going.

When things get tough, it’s a perfect opportunity for you to stop and think. Take time to focus on yourself and figure out what it is you actually want - the reason you did not get what you so desperately wanted might be that you’ve changed and it was not meant to be. You might have outgrown your original plans and you’re supposed to rethink where you’re going - a brighter future might be ahead of you. Just stop and think. Ask yourself why you wanted what you lost so much. You might have been trying to hold onto things out fear of redefining yourself. It’s time you took the lead and fought for what you really want.

3 Do not obsess over one specific thing

Often times we find ourselves obsessing over a certain thing and fail to see all the other opportunities life brings to us. You’re not here to chase one dream - it’s like running a marathon without actually enjoying the beautiful scenery. Try to be a little more flexible and allow yourself a detour from time to time. Collect experiences. Life brings certain things your way for a reason. You’ll never get to experience them if you keep ignoring other opportunities. They might aid you in reaching your goals or they might give you new dreams.

If you truly believe that everything is for you and it’s all for your own good, life will prove you right. Your life will be fuller and happier once you start believing that things happen for a reason and you’re not meant to resist changes. Allow yourself to grow and experience new things so that you’d have a new perspective. Life has a lot more to offer than you might think and obsessing over one thing might mean you’re missing out on a lot. Let things go and focus on what life has in store for you.