When you’re trying to accomplish something meaningful, it usually doesn’t go up and to the right. There are periods when things don’t pan out. You feel like you’re not making progress. This is often the part of the journey that’s most challenging. People get frustrated that things aren’t going according to plan and get down on themselves or give up.

I was chatting with a buddy today about this part of the journey, and we agreed it’s where people separate themselves. The average person feels like things are out of their control and gives up. Successful people take control and refuse to give up. They start hustling. They focus on increasing their activity level in hopes of something happening that gets them out of the lull. More times than not, the hustle leads to something unexpected happening and getting their journey back on track.

If you’re working on something you believe in and you hit a lull, don’t give or get down on yourself. Start thinking about how to hustle your way out of the lull.