Quitters Never Win!

I try to send out some type of inspirational or positive message every week or two. I also post positive messages almost daily on my FB and twitter accounts. But there are some days that I need a little inspiration myself. My week started off kind of rough, 95% of which was work related. For those of you who aren't aware, I have been working in the mental health field for 10 years now. And anyone who has worked 1 year in mental health know how draining this field can be. Heaven knows that I love the children that I serve as well as the parents. But its the politics, paper pushing, and other unecessary nonsense (& even sometimes the parents/kids & other professionals) that make this work so taxing. There are some days, like earlier this week, that I want to quit. If it were not for the fact that there are many reasons for which I am required to produce an income, I definitely would have walked out the door. At the end of the day though, I know I have been chosen to do this work for a purpose.

But if I'm honest, sometimes I just feel burned out. Sometimes I don't want to have to cater to other people, sometimes I don't want to have to help find solutions to other people's problems, sometimes I don't even want to have to hear about other people's problems. Because sometimes this work makes me feel as if I am expected to possess superhuman capabilities that I do not have.

And it never fails that when one part of my life is not going the way I would like for it to go, I began to overanalyze every other aspect of my life which creates this feeling of being completely overwhelmed when in all actuality, everything is just fine. So with that being said, Monday and Tuesday had me feeling some kind of way... like quitting a lot of things. Thankfully I'm not so impulsive to up and quit my job. And although sometimes things seem difficult, as such is life, it doesn't give me permission to give up or quit working toward my goals & dreams. Besides, when obstacles & trials present themselves &/or the enemy attempts to make me feel defeated, I realize that it simply means that God must have amazing blessings in store! I cannot lose my focus and must press forward. So I took a moment to breathe & pray and needless to say, I got my 2nd wind back on today :)

As some of you know, I have enrolled in Graduate School and start classes next month -- books have been purchased, decal and student ID are in my posession so it is totally official! (SN: Pray for me because it has been almost a whole decade since I have been in school). I am excited about this new endeavor & even more excited about the new opportunities & possibilities that this brings; not just for myself but for my son and his future. I attended new student orientation on last night and one of the Admissions Counselors shared a poem of motivation & inspiration with us that I truly needed, not just in regard to school but in general so I want to share that with you all (which may sound familiar) & perhaps it will bless you as much as it blessed me.

Don't Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging, seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
When you want to smile but have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow
Success is failure turned inside out
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt
You never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far
so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
Its when things seem worst that you must not quit.
(Author Unknown)

As the saying goes, quitters never win & winners never quit.... Are you a quitter or are you a winner? ;)