Depression. Why it is the worst enemy of your success and why you should fight it.

The grass isnt always greener on the other side, true. But when you are battling depression, the grass
seems greener everywhere except in your lawn. Although success is a relative term that is defined based
on our personal goals and perceptions, more often than not, we find ourselves comparing our successes
with others. Even when surrounded by positivity and support, a bout of depression can still alter your
perception of success.

Depression feeds on your insecurities and creates a lack of confidence. It fills you with fear and doubt by
telling you that you are not good enough for that success.
Ashley Schaffert shares her experience with depression when she started a career in photography.
Trying to grow my photography business was no easy task in a world where creative jobs are competitive
and few and far between. However, trying to make my passion, my career filled me with fear and doubt.
Depression told me I was not good enough. It reminded me of all the other photographers around me who
were constantly booking jobs on a daily basis. Depression doesnt care that other peoples situations and
careers are different. It doesnt care how long it took others to get to w here they are now. As long as my
career was not up to par with theirs, I thought there must be something I was doing wrong. Most days I
was faced with a mental war. One half of my brain tried to stay positive, logical, motivated, optimistic and
patient. The other side felt hopeless and negative, which subsequently bred the feeling of failure.
From her experience, she has come up with the following pieces of advice.
Focus
Yes. Focus on your own life. Do not compare yourself with the other person. As humans, that is hard to
do sometimes, but no matter how hard it is, dont forget the rule of thumb; FOCUS.
Depression knows no rules. Celebrate little successes
On your journey of success, treat each small moment as a dream come true. Never let depression
overshadow your successful growth stages. Understand that you may not be where you want to be yet.
Letting depression takes hold of you will give you an unrealistic and unhealthy perception of what it
means to be successful.

No matter how dark It seems, stay positive.

Asking someone going through depression to keep working hard and not get down or frustrated is a futile
attempt if they dont tell themselves the same. Its good to have supportive people around you , but the
best effort should come from within you. No matter how hard or dark it seems, stay positive. Your
positive spirit will make all the difference in whether you become successful or not.
If you fall seven times, stand up eight.
Depression may cause you to be your own worst enemy, but it should also make you resilient. It should
force you to keep pushing even when all seems lost. No matter how slow the journey may be, no matter
how many times you fall, pick yourself up and move on. Celebrate little victories.
Ashley Schaffert concludes by saying,
depression may be the on again off again roadblock that I have to face, but I will never let it stand in the
way of doing what truly makes me happy.
Depression leaves you down and out. If you let it keep you th at way, you just may well be feeding it the