Disappointment Can Boost Your Motivation

This is a long one, sorry!

Many people don't know that my husband and I run an unofficial charity here in Guatemala. It sort of started many years ago when the volcano exploded, but during the pandemic, it became a much bigger thing. We had stockpiled food before the lockdown here and when it was no longer possible to leave the house for more than a couple hours a day, people began to starve.

Most people in Guatemala live day to day. What they make that day is used for food. If they're lucky, they get enough money to buy food for a few days. So, when the pandemic hit and everything stopped, they had no backup reserves. Within a week, people were hanging white flags outside their doors to indicate that they were out of food. We had extra, so we gave some food bags away. It wasn't extravagant, just beans, rice, and oatmeal, but it helped.

When I posted a photo on my Facebook of a street where nearly every house had a white flag, friends started to write me and ask how they could help. I sent them to a missionary friend of mine who was organizing food drives, but there was a problem. First, people didn't know him and told me they trusted ME to use the money for food, because they'd worked with me. Second, my friend wrote me and said, "Can you please stop sending people? We don't have enough people to handle it all." We agreed that we would take over food distribution for our area.

Within a short period of time, we were feeding 100 families every week with the food purchased with donated money. It was incredible to see how people jumped to help. There was NO way we could have done any of it without the folks in the US and Canada sending money and encouragement.

Over time, we added a hot meal service to deliver to elderly people who lived alone, since they weren't permitted to leave the house at all. It was the highlight of my day to see those smiling faces as they picked up the food from their front step and happily chatted with us. I think the talking helped just as much as the food.

Long story longer, there was a great need for medicine, too. People were starving, so how could they afford insulin or other meds? I work as a medical translator here for medical groups and so we had access to a pharmacy full of basic medicines. That meant we were able to help far more people than finances allowed.

As the pandemic wound down and people went back to work, the need for food wasn't as high. We still get the occasional family coming to us to ask for a food bag, but it's not as frequent and usually just a little boost to help them through a rough spot. What we do still get is a lot of medical requests. People in our town know that we have a blood pressure cuff, diabetic testing equipment, etc. which is too expensive for them to purchase. So we do a LOT of diabetic checks and health education. Usually at the front door.

Where's the Disappointment?

Our dream was to build a clinic and have a place where medical teams could come and stay and help others. It would be a place where people could visit and get low cost health care and education. We considered where we might build this, but then my husband found the perfect piece of land. His cousin had died and his other cousin (the brother) was selling that piece of land. He was willing to do payments and so, since I had a good job online as a writer, we decided to purchase it.

We had paid for a quarter of the land when disaster struck. I got horribly ill in August 2022. Pancreatitis sent me to the hospital with the worst pain I'd ever experienced and I lost my job because of my hospital stay. After that, everything kept spiraling downhill. I can honestly say that without help from my grandmother and sister, we would have been in dire straits.

Once I recovered from pancreatitis, I just kept getting sick. A massive kidney infection, gastritis, the flu, and even dengue over Christmas! It was ridiculous!

We kept trying to make our land payments and Irving's cousin was very patient with us, but after nine months, he called us for a meeting. He needs the money and is no longer able to wait. And so, as of two days ago, we no longer have land.

It's a huge blow. I'd already designed the clinic and we were excited about making it work, but with the loss of my two biggest clients and then my last client . . . we just haven't managed to get back on top.

And the Motivation?

This is where the motivation comes in. I admit, I spent a bit of time in tears. Then I sat down with my husband and we re-evaluated where we are in life. We have enough to pay our bills, thanks to our sublimation business and his music. We have a roof over our heads. Our children are happy and healthy. And as of two days ago, we no longer have to worry about putting money toward the clinic.

We're trying to look on the bright side and one HUGE bright side is . . . I have more time to dedicate to my websites. Instead of spending most of the day looking for work or trying to find some way to make the money for the land, I can now really buckle down and get my own projects done. In a way, this is a relief.

And so, for now, the disappointment has given way to motivation and I'm planning out 8 hour days which include marketing our own business, working on my websites, writing my books, and generally getting things in order to make more money in the near future.

If you read this far, wow. I'm impressed! Go ahead and share your own disappointment to motivation stories in the comments. I'd love to hear them and it can be even more inspiring to read what other people are doing.