So how do you get through hard times when things are really difficult? How do you keep going? How do you change the situation around? Hi, my name is Mike Pettigrew. I'm a bestselling author and a serial entrepreneur since 1987 and I help ordinary people achieve extraordinary goals, but probably not in the way you might think. So how do you get through hard times? Well, I think the first thing is to realize that no matter how difficult the current situation you're facing is, it will change. That's the one thing that is guaranteed in life. Things do change. And also it's important to get clear on your top 10 goals. Write out your goals. A lot of people forget their goals. Write out, spend 30 minutes doing a goal brainstorming session and come up with - write out all the things that you really want to achieve during your life.

Getting clear on what really matters most is really important. It gives you energy, it gives you more enthusiasm even if things are rough, because when things are difficult, we forget our goals. It's just - we focus on the immediate things, the immediate problems. But it lifts you out of that situation. When you do a brain - a goal brainstorming session - it lifts you out of the immediate reality and helps you start seeing your way forwards. Once again and also, and this may come as a surprise - because you're going through a really challenging situation, it doesn't mean that you don't - you can't be happy because I've met so many people over the years that have gone through incredibly challenging situations, including myself, and it is possible to be happy even amongst those great challenges. And how is that possible? Well, studies have found there's actually happiness is a choice and if you're facing a very big situation, big crisis situation, a real problem, you can suffer as much as you wish. Now we all suffer during difficult times, but you have great control over how much you suffer.

You can stay stuck in that suffering or you can just literally make a decision to reduce that suffering, to be happy. How can you be happy, just by choosing to? Well, studies have found this is possible. This is possible. Just because you're going through a terrible situation doesn't mean you have to put off your happiness until a later date. That's, that's fact. That's fact. There's always things to be happy about, even in the midst of a big problem. If you doubt that that's the case, try a gratitude practice. Try a gratitude exercise. Once you start bringing up gratitude for the small things, the small things, which actually matter the most, your suffering reduces and you can start seeing your way ahead a lot more clearly and this is also fact. And another way to get through hard times is to double your determination, double your determination to get through.

Because when things are very, very difficult, generally we lose energy, we lose vitality, we just start putting up with a situation. I think as human beings we're very good at putting up with things if they've been gradually getting worse and worse. I certainly experienced that myself years ago when I lost everything. You know - gradually I lost more and more and more and more until the point arrived where I couldn't even feed my family and it's only when I got to the point where I said "No more. This has got to change". Things actually started changing, so becoming doubly determined - determination can change the world. Your emotional energy is your creative force. Now, emotions can be positive or negative. They can be creative or destructive, but when you rally all your emotional energy into huge determination, making not just a determination, but making a vow to change the situation, it's amazing how your environment reflects that.

It's amazing how your environment, your circumstances start to mirror the determination you are making. This is what changed my situation all those years ago. Huge determination, a huge vow and it absolutely works, but if you just put up with things and keep putting up with things, things don't change. They can get worse and worse and worse - as I became acutely aware of myself, and it's not - not enjoyable at all. That was an horrendous time in my life, but I changed the situation by bringing up huge determination. That was the very first step. And if times are really hard, another way - great way to change that situation is to brainstorm 100 ways to change your situation, to change your situation. When I say brainstorming, I'm just talking about getting a sheet of paper and a pen and asking yourself, "What ways could I - what could I do to change the situation?"

Write out a hundred ways, okay? Some of them may not be great, may not be practical, and you might cross off later as being wasted time, but brainstorm a hundred ways that you could change the situation. 100 actions you could take to change the situation. I can promise you, you will come up with at least some great ideas that you can put into practice that you can take action on. It's amazing how much wisdom you have within you. We all have this amazing creativity within ourselves and all we need to do is tap it. So there are things that you can do when life is really hard. There are some practical things that you can do. And when you take action on what I've just shared with you, everything can start to change and you can start wakening up again each morning with more vitality, more vibrancy, more aliveness, more possibility. And if you are ready to get to your next level of success, freedom, abundance, and wealth, and take your life to - totally transform your - your current situation, check out my Ultimate Success Club at www.achievegoalsfast.com/usc. Thank you so much for joining me, and I look forward to speaking with you again very soon. Bye bye.