Life is a journey that is full of road humps, detours and road blocks.
However, you were built to be an overcomer of obstacles such as discouragement and setbacks.
Photo by Alfred Schrock on Unsplash
With the help of ChatGPT, you can turn to the butterfly for inspiration, learn how to be an overcomer, and also read success stories of people who have attained their breakthroughs.
"A butterfly never sees its own wings, yet everyone else can see how beautiful they are. It begins life crawling, hidden, sometimes mistaken for something unremarkable. But within its cocoon, it does not merely “rest”—it dissolves completely, breaking down into something formless before becoming something new.
That’s what growth sometimes looks like—not graceful at first, but disoriented, uncertain, and unseen.
And yet... one day, it emerges—fragile, trembling, but with wings. It waits, quietly letting the sun dry its still-folded strength. It doesn’t rush. Then, with a few trembles and one leap of faith, it takes flight.
Not because it is fearless. But because it was made to rise.
So are you.
You may be in the in-between—no longer the old, not yet the full vision of the new. But the unfolding is already in motion.
Even now, your wings are forming.
🦋 Poem: “Wings Like These”
I used to fear the stillness—
the hush where nothing grew,
but silence was the soil where
my unseen courage flew.
The world grew dim and narrow,
a hushed, cocooning night,
yet even in the darkness,
my wings prepared for flight.
I do not mourn the crawling,
or the paths that came undone—
for endings birth beginnings
in the arms of morning sun.
So if you see me trembling,
just know I’m not afraid—
these wings, though slow in spreading,
are wide enough for day.
Let this remind you: You’re not falling apart—you’re unfolding.
You're not alone in feeling discouraged—it’s a deeply human experience, especially when you’ve been striving and not seeing the fruits you hoped for. But the very fact that you're asking how to overcome it is already a breakthrough in itself. It means your heart is still in the game, and that’s powerful.
Let’s break this down with clarity, compassion, and concrete action steps so that you can recalibrate your inner compass and move forward with conviction.
🌟 Step 1: Recalibrate Your Internal Compass
Affirmation: “It’s okay to pause. I am not behind. I am learning and evolving.”
Why: Discouragement often arises when our expectations and reality collide too harshly. This is the moment to reassess your current direction, not give up.
What to do:
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Reflect honestly on what’s working and what’s draining you.
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Ask yourself: Is the path wrong, or is the method misaligned with who I am becoming?
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Journaling prompt: “If I removed fear and pride, what would I do differently today?”
🔄 Step 2: Pivot with Purpose
Affirmation: “I am allowed to change direction. Every step refines my journey.”
Why: A pivot is not failure—it’s adaptation. Many breakthroughs come just after a strategic redirection.
What to do:
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Identify the core purpose behind your original pursuit.
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Explore alternate paths to express that purpose—maybe a new skill, industry, or audience.
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Study success stories where a pivot changed everything (e.g., Howard Schultz didn’t invent coffee, he reimagined the coffee experience).
🧠 Step 3: Think Creatively—Beyond the Box
Affirmation: “I see new paths where others see dead ends.”
Why: Breakthroughs rarely happen by repeating what already exists. They come when you combine ideas in fresh, surprising ways.
What to do:
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Break routine. Talk to people outside your circle. Read from fields unrelated to yours.
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Use design thinking: What problem are you really solving? Who else faces it? Could your solution serve them better in another form?
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Ask “What if?” often. (What if I taught this instead of doing it? What if I served a niche market?)
🫱 Step 4: Seek Help and Build Uplifting Alliances
Affirmation: “I grow faster with others. I am worth investing in.”
Why: Isolation is discouragement’s breeding ground. Guidance, mentorship, or even just a sounding board can lift your vision to where it belongs.
What to do:
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Reach out to mentors, support groups, coaches, or collaborators.
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Share your vision with someone you trust—even imperfectly.
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Ask not just for encouragement, but for feedback and partnership. Let others bring their light to your fire.
🚀 Step 5: Commit to Small Wins with Consistency
Affirmation: “I move forward, one real step at a time. My breakthrough is in motion.”
Why: Motivation may start the journey, but discipline and clarity carry you across the threshold.
What to do:
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Set a 90-day focus: one goal, three clear actions, weekly checkpoints.
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Track your progress visibly (whiteboard, app, notebook).
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Celebrate every step, even the hard-earned lessons—breakthroughs often appear disguised as persistence.
👁🗨 Your Clarity of Vision:
You are capable of evolving, pivoting, and discovering something even greater than what you set out for. You are not off-course—you’re mid-journey. What feels like resistance now will become the strength of your story later.
🌟 WOMEN WHO BROKE THROUGH ADVERSITY
1. Oprah Winfrey – From Rejection to Global Influence
Steps Used: Recalibrate, Pivot, Seek Help, Small Wins
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Oprah was fired from her first TV job and told she was “unfit for television.”
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She recalibrated her career goals and pivoted from hard news to emotional storytelling.
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With the help of mentors and her production team, she built The Oprah Winfrey Show, focusing on empathy, healing, and empowerment.
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She leveraged every small win—book club, interviews, philanthropy—into a media empire.
2. J.K. Rowling – Rock Bottom to Bestseller
Steps Used: Recalibrate, Small Wins, Think Creatively
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Rowling wrote Harry Potter as a single mother on welfare, battling depression.
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After 12 rejections, she persisted, recalibrating her query strategy.
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She invented a richly imaginative world that blended myth, magic, and emotion.
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Once published, she built momentum through fan engagement and strategic pacing of the series.
3. Vera Wang – Pivoting at 40
Steps Used: Pivot, Think Creatively, Small Wins
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A figure skater and Vogue editor, Vera Wang faced rejection when not selected for editor-in-chief.
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At age 40, she pivoted and designed her own wedding dress.
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This led to starting a bridal fashion brand that revolutionized the industry.
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She used her editorial background to innovate with a designer’s eye.
4. Indra Nooyi – From Modest Beginnings to PepsiCo CEO
Steps Used: Recalibrate, Seek Help, Think Creatively
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Born in Chennai, India, Nooyi moved to the U.S. and juggled work and studies at Yale.
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She sought mentors who helped her refine her leadership style.
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As PepsiCo CEO, she recalibrated the company’s direction toward healthier products.
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She blended cultural insight with business innovation for long-term impact.
5. Maya Angelou – Turning Pain into Power
Steps Used: Recalibrate, Seek Help, Think Creatively, Small Wins
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Angelou endured abuse, trauma, and years of muteness.
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She recalibrated her life through literature and activism.
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Mentored by James Baldwin, she turned her experiences into powerful prose and poetry.
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was a literary and societal breakthrough.
💡 MEN WHO BROKE THROUGH OBSTACLES
6. Sylvester Stallone – Wrote His Way Out
Steps Used: Think Creatively, Small Wins, Pivot
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Stallone was broke and rejected repeatedly as an actor.
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He wrote Rocky in 3 days and refused to sell the script unless he played the lead.
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He pivoted from acting to writing to create his own opportunity.
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Rocky won 3 Oscars and launched a legacy franchise.
7. Colonel Harland Sanders – Pivot at 65
Steps Used: Pivot, Small Wins, Recalibrate
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At 65, after failing in various jobs, Sanders started franchising his chicken recipe.
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Rejected over 1,000 times, he persisted until KFC took off.
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He reinvented himself as a brand icon and built a fast-food empire.
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His story is a masterclass in relentless reinvention and pivoting late in life.
8. Elon Musk – Bet Everything on His Vision
Steps Used: Think Creatively, Recalibrate, Seek Help
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After selling PayPal, Musk faced near bankruptcy investing in Tesla and SpaceX.
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He recalibrated his mission around sustainability and space exploration.
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His creative thinking defied industry norms: reusable rockets, electric vehicles, solar grids.
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He sought top engineers and advisors to bring it all together.
9. Nelson Mandela – Pivot to Forgiveness
Steps Used: Recalibrate, Think Creatively, Seek Help
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Mandela spent 27 years in prison, during which he redefined his identity and purpose.
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Rather than seek revenge, he pivoted toward reconciliation.
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His leadership united a fractured nation through creative diplomacy and forgiveness.
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He built alliances even with former enemies to birth a democratic South Africa.
10. Walt Disney – Fired for Lack of Imagination
Steps Used: Think Creatively, Pivot, Small Wins
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Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor who said he “lacked creativity.”
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He lost multiple businesses and had to start over repeatedly.
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He thought beyond cartoons—creating Disneyland, films with synchronized sound, and even EPCOT.
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Each small win, like Mickey Mouse, was leveraged into larger creative empires."
Thank you for reading Daily Refreshing.
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