At the beginning of the year, my husband and I made up our minds that we won’t be renewing our lease in the apartment building we were living at the time. Considering the fact that we are now a family of four, we needed more space and also wanted to explore the opportunities of living in a completely different city. Our lease was supposed to expire in March, so the plan was to move to a new place in April. That didn’t work out!

 Up until July, we were still stuck. We went to several realtors trying to find a house but everything we found was either overpriced or below the standard we desired.

I got really stressed about it and sometimes there was serious anxiety because I couldn’t do so many things knowing that I would have to move really soon yet we still hadn’t found a suitable house. I felt stuck!

I was praying about our situation but I must confess that fear equally consumed my heart. My mind would replay the fact that we don’t have our family here. “Who would be willing to take us in pending when we find a suitable place?”

There were so many things to worry about and the fact that I was stuck in a place I was beginning to dread was even much more nerve-racking.

Maybe your situation is much different from mine but I assume you get the picture of being in a hopeless situation and struggling to get out of the rut that life dishes you. Yours could be an unexpected breakup, loss of a job or business failures.

No matter what your challenge is, these would definitely apply. I want to share some things that helped me stay encouraged during this difficult period.

Read to the end as I’ll be sharing how we eventually got a house above and beyond our imagination for less than we allocated for our housing expenses.

5 Things to remember when things don’t go as planned

There’s still something good happening right now

Regardless of the situation you are stuck with, there’s still something good happening in your life. Look around you, there are people who have much-limited resources than you do, who are incredibly happy and content. You have good health, you have a whole lot going on for you, so you shouldn’t permit one setback to ruin all your other chances of thriving and achieving success. Appreciate what you have in front of you.

Everything in life is ephemeral

If you focus too much on that challenge, you’ll eventually realise that you have wasted the time of your life brooding while day turned tonight. Life and everything in it are ephemeral, so let’s remember that even that tough situation is temporary. Don’t let one tiny bit ruin it all. If things are going good, enjoy it and when they are tough, still try to keep your smile because it won’t be that way forever. Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. There’s always sunshine after rain, so don’t let the situation consume you.

Anxiety and excessive worry won’t solve it

If worry could solve problems, no one would have any. Don’t spend so much time worrying and complaining because that won’t change anything. I know it’s not easy to quit complaining even when we know fully well that it won’t resolve the issues. If it makes you feel better, talk to someone but don’t go around complaining every single time. The time you spend complaining could be channelled into more productive things. It’s not over when you lost, it’s over when you stop complaining.

Even if your plans are not working, don’t sit down and complain all through. Learn from your mistakes and try again. A simple change in your business strategy or approach might be all you need to get ahead, the fact that it didn’t work out the first time doesn’t mean you are not meant to be doing that thing. Setbacks happen so we can plan/implement a proper come back. Complaining will only fuel your desire to give up, don’t do it.

Smooth seas don’t make the best sailors

Sailors who only travel on smooth seas can’t be awarded as the best sailors because they have no idea what it means to sail through boisterous winds. Now I’m not saying you would win an award for going through difficulties, what I mean is that, the tests we go through are proof that we have got strength in us and we are resilient enough to keep going despite any setback. Out of suffering and troubles the strongest souls emerge, so just believe that each challenge is there to make you a more determined human.

God sometimes withholds good to give you the best!

Okay, there’s no better way to explain this than to complete the story I was sharing at the beginning of this post.

So while we were actively searching in July, the realtor took us to a nice basement apartment in Toronto and although it was way over our budget and rather unsuitable, I had grown impatient so I started convincing my husband that we should settle for it. We really didn’t want an apartment building anymore, having lived in those for over 2 years.

My hubby wasn’t convinced and I remember he mentioned that God had better in store for us so we should wait patiently for it and not settle for less. I was livid when he said that but I also acknowledged deep within that he was right.

Surprisingly in mid-July, a townhouse that I had been eyeing opened up. I was told it was fully booked till next year when I had called earlier. They also mentioned that they already had a long list so I just figured they won’t give it to us. My husband got a call one morning in July that the townhouse was available to us for move-in in September. Wait?! How? I still don’t know.

Yes! I had to wait from March to September but eventually God gave us something beyond our imagination for less than our budget.

I encourage you not to give up and to continually trust God even when things don’t go as planned in your life. The one who knows the end from the beginning will sort you out. He saves the best for the last! Even if 2019 looks like its gone, so much good can happen in less than 2 months. Be of good cheer!

Kindly share one of your tough time experiences in the comments to encourage someone else.

Also Read: What to do before the new year to make it a GREAT YEAR

Love….

L’queen

Outfit details:

OTK Boots: Ardene|Jumper: Apt 9|Jeans: Wados Fashion

Silver Soundwave necklace: Forever Anniversary

Coordinates silver bracelet: Sincerely Silver

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