When Hope Feels Far

Hello loves!

October is here, and so is the end of summer! Now is the time when nights get longer, the air gets colder, and all our clothing gets more and more layered.

Personally, I love the fall. I love all the pumpkins and apples, Halloween and costume parties, football season, hayrides, all the typical fall festivities we get to enjoy towards the end of the year. But as the leaves change and the sun fades a little more quickly, it's easy to slip into reflection during this time of year, too.

Inevitably, thoughts of fall will turn to winter and the looming date of December 31st. Another year closing out.

Most of us have accomplished a lot in the year. Life is full of changes---some we never see coming---and in the span of 365 days, odds are there's been at least one huge shift in your life. For some, that's finally achieving a long-awaited goal. For others, it can be in ways that are good and awesome, but are easily forgotten when compared to the unfilled dreams of the year.

Can I be honest? There are certain things in my life that I feel like I've been waiting for for a loooong time. Things that I can work really hard for, but ultimately, have no control over when or if I'll ever get them.

It can be. . . challenging.

A few friends of mine are in similar, if not the same, phase of life as me. A lot of us are waiting on the same things. Some are waiting on things others have already received. Some have entirely different dreams for the future compared to everyone else. Regardless, we all have the same state of waiting in common.

And the same reactions. Impatience, worry, annoyance, sadness, frustration, despair. It's hard not to feel these things when a situation is out of your control, despite your best efforts.

When you've done all you can do---when you've done everything right---and still that faraway dream continues to stay out of reach, people can fall to hopelessness. And I get it. Waiting phases like this can feel unfair. It can strain your self-esteem, make you question if you did something wrong and weren't as ready as you thought. And sometimes, there's that really small voice that lurks in your mind late at night and whispers you just don't deserve it at all.

So, first of all, that voice is a liar.

Yes, I'm sure you "know" that, but do you really know that? Do you truly believe that it's wrong?

Because it is. You do deserve the dreams you're after, the goals you've pursued for so long. I know it's so easy to listen to that voice of doubt that chips away at hope, but trust me---the doubt is a liar.

Things will work out. Sometimes it doesn't happen how we expect it, but the phases of waiting will always come to an end.

Now, I know it's easier said than done to stay hopeful during these times. Hope and optimism (& motivation) can disappear when they aren't fueled by anything. Your own drive to push yourself can only take you so far before you burnout.

That's why it's important to take a step back and look at how far you've come. You might not have your one or two big goals, but you probably have a ton of the stepping stone goals fulfilled. Celebrate those tiny wins and the wonderful things that are currently around you.

And in those moments when it's really hard, surround yourself with the people who love you and care about you. Let them be the ones that reassure you, that show you your own accomplishments in a new light. When the waiting phase becomes too heavy for your hope, let the hope of others carry you through it.

Love y'all!

"The Lord replied, 'Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it.'"---Habakkuk 1:5