Valley Work: Break Through to Optimism

Starting something new is exciting! Whether a book, a project or a brilliant idea. The energy and creativity is almost intoxicating and the passion even helps get some early wins.  Change experts call this uninformed optimism. The problem is that this uninformed optimism can quickly turn to informed pessimism.

Much like a wet blanket, informed pessimism dampens our energy and even threatens to snuff out this budding creation. The simple reason is, that even though we plan and prepare, there is no way to anticipate all of the challenges that lie ahead.  The project may require more than we thought, or we get tired, distracted or even discouraged. This is where we enter the Valley. Some call it the Valley of Despair and what we do in the valley can be the difference between success and failure.

The Valley

The Valley is the most critical point of any project or change worth pursing. It's a hard place to be and I can honestly say I've been there many times. I think we all have, because coming face to face with push back and challenge is normal and necessary in any significant journey. Every time I have launched a new idea or a new business something happens to challenge me. This causes me to step back and rethink. How important is this? What do I really want here? What does this mean? What matters? The result is a greater clarity and a sharper focus to my vision.

Not only is the valley normal, it is also predictable, therefore it's something we can prepare for. I've started calling it Valley Work. Rather than giving up or quitting, consider that there are critical tasks to accomplish in the valley that will help you break out of pessimism and into a renewed optimism.

Valley Work

Valley work is the work we must do to stay the course and push through the obstacles standing in our way. It can be the difference between failure and success.

To get us started, here are three simple but critical tasks in Valley Work:

1. Write down your vision of the completed project.

Writing down your vision gives it power and value. More importantly, it gives us a sense of ownership and something concrete to go back to when we face the challenge. What results do you want to see? What really matters to you? Writing helps us remember. Remembering is the uniquely human ability to return to the story and passion of what we truly value.

2. Be assertive with yourself.

Realize that your negative and defeatist thoughts have the power to keep you stuck in pessimism. This is why we quit. Instead, challenge your thinking to push through to success. Rehearse your dream. Persevere by reminding yourself about your goal and the strength you have to reach it. Give yourself direction and make the decision to go for it. A simple step toward your goal can be enough to reignite your passion to see it through.

3. Get support!

There is no way to overstate the power of support from key people in your life to help you achieve your goal.   A key factor that helps all of us achieve our goals is telling a core group of people in our life. What kind of support do you need? What motivates you to push through? Personally, I don't need others to hold me accountable. I do need, however, the increased sense of ownership the comes when I share my projects with people in my life who care.

These three critical tasks are essential to move you through the valley and into a renewed confidence and courage.

Informed Optimism

When we push through the discouragement and overcome our obstacles in the valley we enter the sweet joy of informed optimism.  This is the point of break through and it won't happen without Valley Work. How many of your great ideas have you set aside because you've listened to the whisper of pessimism?  Take ownership -- you know the hard work that lies ahead of you and you can do it.

Break through!