2019 Happy New Year ! 
So here we are again at the start of another new year wondering if we will reach our goals. In our enthusiasm to make positive changes it can be easy to overlook the fact that any change involves a process; change is rarely an event.
All success, whether it be in our personal lives or in our career, involves a series of steps and as we look ahead at our goal it is easy to think that we will simply progress from one step to the next in a neat linear manner; however real life is not like that.
In spite of all our best efforts we may find ourselves stuck on the same step, for what can seem an uncomfortably long time and as a result our motivation and self-belief can take a nose-dive leaving the door wide open for negative self-talk,’ ‘what’s the point?’, ‘I knew I couldn’t do this’, ‘everyone else is making more progress than me’, ‘I’ll never be able to succeed’ etc.
The reasons for staying on one step or at one stage of change are many; sometimes we are unconsciously not ready to progress, sometimes life throws a curve-ball at us, sometimes our goal was too big, sometimes despite all our commitment and best intentions we just don’t make progress at the speed we want.
Accepting life as it is, with it’s setbacks and disappointments can sometimes be the only thing we can do and whilst to some that can feel like a form of giving up or surrender, it does allow us to stay in a more positive frame of mind instead of simply giving up.
When we look beyond any present disappointment and remind ourselves that it is only temporary we can stay on course – when a train is late leaving the station, as frustrating as that is, we don’t get off and abandon our trip because to do so would mean we would get nowhere.
Sometimes life is like a game of snakes and ladders for everyone, so hang on in there until you reach the ladder again!