via huffpost.com

Every project starts with excitement.

Not those terrible assigned project that may require you to work with other people.

Passion projects.

It starts with excitement. You dive into the planning process. You hit a few bumps there, but you push forward and turn your research into reality. You work and werk on your blog, new business, or project of your choosing. You hit another bump or two, but you still manage to launch. Things are going well, then okay, then comes the monster bump.

No, it’s not a zit. It’s you. Specifically your emotions. You start to feel overwhelmed, like your product/project isn’t effective, or worse, like you’ve wasted a lot of time on a stupid idea.

At this point you give up or reassess and move ahead. This pattern continues until you’re fed up or you manage to succeed in some way, shape, or form. This occurs over the course of one to five years.

It happens at your job that you were originally excited about. It happens with your self-made fitness routine. It happens with that Netflix show you swore you’d finish binge watching. It happens…

…to all of us.

The trial and error years are a major part that is left out of a lot of simplified success stories. However, it is one of the most important parts to remember when pursuing a passion or project of choice.

There will also be many great moments sprinkled in; from receiving positive feedback to seeing the effectiveness of your work. These moments will help to push you further, but they may not be enough.

You will experience a lot of ups and downs. If you begin with this realistic expectation then you can plan ahead. Find out what lights your fire. What kicks you into drive? What motivates you?

For me:

My small bumps can be repaired with quotes, maybe a few motivational images, or a good TED Talk.

The monster bumps? Words of wisdom from elders, binge watching my favorite show of all time, and more TED Talks.

The lows can be a great learning opportunity, but sometimes we need a boost to help us get back up and keep moving forward. If you see your passions through you are likely to come out on top because you managed to achieve what you originally intended, or from a better opportunity that presented itself along the way.

One of my favorite phrases is, failing to plan is planning to fail. If you plan for your highs AND your lows, you will truly be unstoppable.