“Overcoming Financial Discouragement” (Bountiful S4E9)

Everybody has faced discouragement. How encouraging! But seriously, discouragement is part of living in this world, and God’s people aren’t immune to it. Elijah is a good example of a faithful servant of God who dealt with a bout of discouragement. Financially speaking, we can get discouraged by an unexpected expense, plans going slower than intended, the stock market, natural disasters, etc. However, in spite of discouragement being universal to us all, we can overcome it!

Many people will deal with financial discouragement from time to time on their personal finance journey. When that happens, we need to take action. So, here are some ideas on how to overcome financial discouragement:

1. Realize you’re not alone – and reach out for help. Everyone has made mistakes, including financial ones. It’s okay to talk about them in order to learn some lessons others may have learned the hard way.
2. Set realistic expectations. Unrealistic expectations are the root of a lot of discouragement. When things don’t work out, even when reality doesn’t meet an unachievable standard, it’s almost impossible to overcome discouragement. So, be realistic. Know what your tendencies are and where you are starting from, and then focus on being just a little bit better. Once you do that, try to be a little bit better than that.
3. Focus on eternal successes rather than temporary financial struggles. Lay up some treasures in Heaven which will never disappoint. Work on drawing nearer to God.
4. Break the cycle. No longer be your worst enemy. This may involve looking outside yourself; is there a way you can help someone else in need?