I am a people-pleaser. I will admit that right off the bat. Sometimes I feel like my whole purpose in life is to make other people happy. I know that this is a super unhealthy behavior and I promise that I am working on it, but even still it is sometimes impossible to fight the urge to meet the expectations of others.

And sometimes the expectations of others are extremely high. When expectations grow to be too high, that is when I become overwhelmed. All I can seem to think is, “I’m not good enough. I’ll never be good enough. I should just give up.” But then there’s a little voice in the back of my mind, barely audible over all of my worries. This small voice says, “Keep doing your best. Keep pushing. I will help you get through this.” I know that this small voice is the voice of God, and without it I don’t think I would ever get through anything.

But I also know how hard it is to hear the voice of God assuring you. When people keep demanding things of you, it's hard to focus on what really matters. So I am going to attempt to help you out here.

Here are some steps you can take to help you get refocused:

1. Figure out the task at hand.

Attempting a new task can sometimes get confusing, and the confusion is only worse if you were overwhelmed to begin with. This is why it is so important to actually figure out what you have to do. It helps you to focus on one thing at a time, instead of growing more overwhelmed than you have to. Do as Proverbs 4:25 says, “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you” (NIV).

2. Identify who you’re doing this for.

Are you trying to please someone by doing this? Because if you are, it’s totally not worth doing and you should stop immediately. Colossians 3: 23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (NIV). God is the person we should work for. But we do not work to please Him, we work to bring Him glory. It is not an obligation or expectation, but it is a desire that must come from our own hearts.

3. Find encouragement.

This is different for every person. Personally, I find encouragement in reading God’s Word and in spending time with my family and friends. But your source of encouragement is probably different than mine. It is my hope that you find this source of encouragement, because it is so vital when enduring something that is hard.

I hope that you all are able to refocus and pursue what is worthwhile. I hope that you work your hardest because you want to, and not because you have to. I hope that you do all of these things for the glory of God, and for that reason only.