Use Determination as Your Strength To Move Forward
Imagine what you can do if you never give up.
Reminder: The free Positivity Club newsletter moves to Monday starting next week. Read the full announcement below.
Hi there!
The older I get, the more I have to break jobs down into pieces. Gone are the days I could work dawn to dusk and still function the next day. Heck, even after a few hours of physical work, it takes all I have just to get out of bed the next day.
With yard work, this breaking things down often means picking up sticks and branches one day, mowing the next, and weed eating and cleanup the third day. It may take more time to get the yard done, but with determination, it always looks good.
Early spring is when I spend the most time outside. There are usually some dried oak leaves in the flower beds, crepe myrtles and Rose of Sharon bushes needing a trim, and plenty of weeds and rocks to move.
Nothing grows better in my yard than wild onions and rocks. I’ll never understand where the latter one comes from. Do gnomes plant rocks in my yard all winter?
Down at the lower edge of my property, I built a burn pit. As I clean away brown leaves and dead branches, I use my gorilla cart to haul them down the steep hill to the fire pit. The spring clean up usually takes 3 or 4 weekends, but with it done, the yard work is easier to manage during the hotter months.
Every year, the spring transformation takes me longer, but it always gets done. Determination keeps me going until I finish it all. And when I’m done, I sit on the swing on my front porch, drink a cold strawberry lemonade, and enjoy how pretty my modest yard looks.
With determination, almost anything is possible.
“A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”
- Colin Powell
Determination and health
I have been carrying about 30 extra pounds (14 kg) in my gut for the past decade. Every time I look in the mirror, it disgusts me. I often joke that I'm carrying a baby with a 20-year gestation period.
The problem is I like sweet and salty snacks too much to beat the battle of the bulge. Stress or exhaustion both drive me straight to the chips and cookies.
This year, I’m doing things differently. Rather than focusing on every calorie I eat or how many steps I walk, I’m resigned to develop healthier habits.
For example, I love dessert after dinner. Give me a Dutch apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream or a cherry cheesecake, and I’ll skip dinner just to indulge in too much dessert. Sweet treats are good occasionally, but when you eat 700 calories worth of cookies every night, that’s not so good.
Now, most nights, I’m turning to fruits like blueberries or strawberries for dessert. To make it easier, I have one night (usually Friday) where I can eat whatever I want. Bring on the jelly-filled donuts and butter pecan ice cream, but only one night a week.
Is it working? Slowly. Through determination, I’m losing about a pound (0.45 kg) a week. The weight is coming off thanks to more whole food items and less processed ones.
Determination also helps me cope with my bipolar disorder. While I can’t push every day, most of the time, I can go to work, care for my mom, and keep the house clean.
Learning to be determined is a gift. My mom calls it stubbornness, but it's really just determination.
“Where do you think I learned it?” I always ask her.
When one of us sets out to do something, there's no stopping us. It may take a while, but the task will get done.
That's the beauty of determination.
Determination Is a Choice
Determination is a state of mind. It's a choice to keep going, even when it's hard. Most of us are born without it, but determination is a quality anyone can learn.
If you struggle with seeing things through to completion, start by making small goals and then work to achieve them. Achieve one goal and then reach for the next.
For caring for my mental health, I started with the goal of getting out of bed at the same time every day. Sure, I love being in bed until noon on Saturday, but a consistent sleep routine is essential for coping with bipolar.
Next, I took on my medications and created a routine for taking each one at a consistent time. I set reminders on my phone and use smart switches to remind me it’s time to take the next dose.
Once determination becomes your mindset, it's easier to keep going. Even when the ups and downs of life throw roadblocks in your path, you’ll find the strength to keep fighting.
I use my determination to go to work each day, manage my mental health, care for my home, and write new content. Determination helps keep me on track with my good habits which means I have fewer bad days. Win win.
Be determined to do what you can each day. By doing the right things on the easier days, the harder days will feel less scary.
Spend some time today thinking about determination and how you can use the power to make your life better.
Journal Prompt: How have you shown determination in the past? How has it helped you to achieve your goals? What can you learn from those experiences?
Creative Writing Prompt: Your character faces impossible odds but has greater determination than any other human has ever had. Write a story starting with the words, “I can do this.”
Until next time, keep fighting.
Scott Ninneman
Announcement
Changes to the Positivity Club
The last few weeks, I’ve been experimenting on Substack and loving the results. Here are a few changes coming to the Positivity Club.
Schedule
Starting March 3, 2025, the free post moves to Monday. The Monday newsletter will introduce a self-improvement theme, such as gratitude, journaling, or choosing better friends.
Tuesday through Friday will have shorter newsletters, each building on the week’s theme, and giving you a fresh journal prompt each day. These newsletters will only appear on Substack.
Starting March 17, 2025, the Tuesday through Friday issues will only go to paid subscribers.
Price
For now, you can sign up as a paid member of the Positivity Club for $5 per month or $40 per year. Sign up now, and as long as you stay a paying subscriber, that price will never increase.
Beginning May 5, 2025, the price for new subscribers goes to $15 per month or $100 per year.
Why the change? The simple answer is that I can’t keep doing all I have been doing. It costs about $2,000 a year to run the Speaking Bipolar site, pay for software, and keep the lights on. For seven years, nearly all of that expense has come out of my pocket.
It also takes me roughly 20 hours a week to write, edit, and format the newsletter content. The large time commitment needs to have more rewards for the energy I expend.
While I would love to keep everything free, that would be a poor business model. I’m also getting older, which means at some point, either my writing or my day job will have to go. I prefer to eliminate the latter, but that means my writing has to replace my income.
Before you panic, the All Things Bipolar Newsletter (currently off Substack) has always been and will stay free for everyone. The Monday post in the Positivity Club will also continue to be free for everyone.
I’m changing the Positivity Club because I keep getting requests for more content. The only way to write more stories is to spend more time at home. You see my problem.
I know some cannot afford to go paid, so I may give out extended trials on a case-by-case basis. Those who can support the Speaking Bipolar mission have my heartfelt gratitude. You are ensuring the future of the Speaking Bipolar site and all it does to help others.
Community
My first goal with the Positivity Club was to create a community for us to share our journeys together. The first platform I tried was too complex, so I moved to Substack. I knew it was a great model, but there were some issues early on.
Substack is more versatile and stronger now, so I’m focusing my free time there. If you want to “talk” to me, follow me in the Notes (Home) section. I try to respond to every message.
Notes is also where I post daily good morning messages and give brief updates on my life. Here’s an example:
If you’re new to Substack Notes, it’s a lot like Twitter used to be before it went to pieces. Notes is free for everyone.
In May, I will open up the community even further with a private chat for Positivity Club members. The private group will be the place to share your struggles, triumphs, and to cheer each other on. I’m excited to see how it develops.
Until next time, keep fighting.
Additional Reading
The book that started it all…
Disclaimer:
This email may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
I can relate in a lot of ways to your article. Determination is a mindset that takes some time to develop but it gets easier with time.