Defeating Discouragement

When I was a kid I was given the impression that the people who are successful, the people who are winners, were the ones that never failed and never struggled. There are so many people who try to accomplish that model of lifestyle. The problem is that at the moment of failure (and it will happen), discouragement enters. It's like being kicked when you are down.


Being part of ministry is amazing and life changing. Working alongside the business aspects of industry, are many times, life taking and blood sucking. There are SO many discouragements, especially in the industry;

MY ALBUM ISN'T SELLING ENOUGH COPIES
I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SOCIAL NETWORK FRIENDS
I DIDN'T GET MANY PEOPLE OUT TO MY CONCERT
IT'S HARD TO GET GIGS
MY LABEL ISN'T INVESTING IN ME
MY AGENT IS TOO BUSY WITH HIS/HER OTHER ARTISTS
I CAN'T FIND SUPPORT FROM FRIENDS/FAMILY
I'M OVERBUDGET AND UNDERFUNDED
I DON'T THINK PEOPLE LIKE MY MUSIC

I remember when I was first starting out in ministry and trying to put my first album together. I was asked to write a theme song for a youth conference. I was so excited! I gave it a try and came up with what I thought was a decent song that fit the theme. I spent hours and hours recording it and perfecting it. I mailed off a CD with great anticipation. When I followed up with the event organizer, months later (after not hearing back), they explained that they decided not to use it. I was shattered. So much time and effort, sweat, blood, and energy went into creating my best work for them, and they didn't even like it.

At that time I didn't understand, I was hurt and discouraged. That discouragement, kept me from continuing for a long time. So much so, that instead of having an album released in six months (like I had planned) it took almost three years. I had no reason to put myself out there again, at the risk of being burned. That's how I felt.

And you know what? Six years later, I released the song I wrote for that youth conference entitled, "Called" on my album. It hit #1 on the Christian radio charts in Canada in one month. God can take something that might appear to have no potential and use it to do great things, but we have to let Him. Discouragement, prevents that. I don't think God wants us to rest inside of discouragement, because then we're useless.

So the next time my booking agent calls up a venue and they decline, I think of it as an opportunity; an opportunity for me to perhaps play there in the future. As I struggle through my failures I am realizing the only thing that defines being unsuccessful, is giving up altogether. It might take a lifetime of failures, but with each failure, I learn how not to do it.

How do you struggle with discouragement? Can you relate? Let's hear from you!