How can we fight discouragement as we embark on a job search or career transition? Discouragement can be a natural response to pain, setbacks, uncertainty, or loss. Clinical depression, of course, may require professional support and should never be minimized. But all of us face times when we must find a way to keep moving forward despite difficult circumstances.

At one point, I had two surgeries ten days apart, one of them a foot surgery that was supposed to put me out of action for a couple of months. The trouble was that, as a business owner, I could not afford to take that amount of time away from work. So I determined that somehow I would have to hasten, though not compromise, my recovery. After my outpatient surgery, I was taking client calls and appointments on the way home. I found that absorption in my clients’ problems distracted me from my pain. I kept my foot elevated per my doctor’s orders, but as I engaged my mind and focused on the needs of others, I sensed that my discouragement began to subside.

After a weekend of rest, I focused on doing what I do best. Within a week, I was walking and gradually resuming normal activity. So what does this have to do with life?

I think life is 90% attitude and 10% opportunity. “We do what we have to do,” my mom always said. More and more, I realize the profundity of that statement. When we are absorbed in our goals and what has to be done, we may find that we can move beyond discouragement and face obstacles that others might characterize as impossible.

All this can serve as a metaphor for job searching in a tough economy, qualifying ourselves for a position we think is beyond our area of expertise, or taking on a professional or personal challenge. The “we do what we have to do” principle can carry us through what first appears impossible. I remember a number of times in my life when people told me that my aspirations and goals were impossible. In almost every case, they proved to be wrong. Why? Because I am Wonder Woman? Not at all. Because I “did what I had to do” and made things happen because I had no choice.

So whatever you are facing now, drown out the voices that whisper, “Impossible.” Do whatever you can to move toward accomplishing your goal. Believe that you can, that you must, and that persistence can help you move toward what once seemed impossible. Belief is a powerful force. Self-belief is an even more awesome force. Factor in determination and persistence, and you may find the strength to move beyond discouragement and frustrating obstacles into the realm of possibility and accomplishment.