You’ve been having a rough go of it lately, and you’re worried winter will only make everything worse – we’ve been there. When you’re spinning your wheels and finding yourself no further ahead, there are some practical things you can start doing today to give yourself a boost.

Plus-size modelling mogul & author DeLores Pressley knows the pain and disappointment of rejection and judgments based solely on her appearance. But rather than allowing her critics define her, she chose to face what she dubs that cold winter season head on. She has become an expert at turning her so-called challenges into assets.

Here, she shares her tips on how to be confident and courageous through every season of your life:

Fuel future successes with past achievements. It’s easy to feel like a failure after a particularly harsh setback, and even the most empowered of us can, at times, doubt ourselves; however, no matter where you are in your career or life, you have undoubtedly done something that has made an impact. For instance, I had a client who was having suicidal thoughts and I talked her out of being suicidal. This had a tremendous ripple effect as everyone positively impacted by her is a result of the conversation we had to keep her alive. I’m proud of that and realize if I’ve had one success, I can have others. You need to take the same mentality. Not every past achievement needs to be as profound as saving a life, but find those times you made a difference in the world and know that you can do it again.

Regularly invest in “The Power of You.” Do you ever get to the end of the day, week, month or even year and feel like you haven’t accomplished anything? Chances are you’ve accomplished much more than you realize but without any tangible, physical evidence it can be difficult to bring those accomplishments to mind. A great way to create a visual bank of your accomplishments is to make deposits in what I call “The Power of You Jar.” Every time you accomplish something or do something good, write it down on a slip of paper and put it in a jar. Watching that jar fill up is empowering. Then any time you’re feeling bad or doubting yourself, just reach into the jar and get that reminder of what you’ve already accomplished.

Channel your inner prize fighter. You can learn a lot from boxers. They spend three minutes fighting each round and 60 to 90 seconds resting. During that time between rounds they are refuelling and receiving advice and encouragement. They have a whole training team supporting them and speaking life into them. Any doubt during a fight could lead to a knock out. Could you imagine how disastrous it would be if their trainer said, “You’re going to lose” or, “You should quit”? We allow negative people in our corners all the time – people who are not encouraging and people who don’t help us. Is it any wonder why we are getting knocked down? When channelling your inner prize fighter, it’s important to not only come out of your corner swinging but when you’re resting and rebuilding in between rounds, make sure the people with you are truly in your corner.

Cease self-doubt with an actual “Stop” sign. If there’s one piece of self-help advice you’ve heard ad nauseam, it’s probably, “Don’t speak or think negatively.” Wonderful advice but for many, it can be next to impossible to follow. Even if you’ve attended the most incredible motivational seminar or are pumped up from a motivational book or video, the principles you’ve learned and the changes you want to make often quickly fade in following weeks or months. An effective way to keep that motivational level up and make those changes stick is to use visual cues. For instance, if you want to stop thinking negatively, get an actual stop sign – it doesn’t have to be full sized, just big enough to be a reminder. Put it in your office, your bedroom, or wherever it needs to be visible. Any time you are doubting yourself, you can SEE the stop sign and this will be the reminder to hit the brakes and get back on track.

Don’t outsource your success. We’re in an era where outsourcing is very popular; everything from manufacturing jobs to administrative duties are being outsourced. One thing you must not outsource is your success. If you have achieved something, surmounted an obstacle, or had any sort of triumph, take credit for it. If you find yourself saying, “It was nothing,” or “I didn’t really do much,” people will believe it. This doesn’t mean you should become a glory hog, but it does mean take credit where credit is due. Allow yourself to be seen as successful and you will feel successful, too.

Some “winter seasons” in your life will be more challenging than others. Get through those inevitable cold, harsh days by taking stock and giving yourself credit for what you’ve already accomplished. Surround yourself with people who support you, stop negative thinking at its onset, and allow yourself to acknowledge and enjoy present, in-the-moment pleasures. Doing so will give you the motivation and fire you need to be confident and courageous to work through any difficult season.

International Keynote Motivational Speaker, Executive Life Coach and Author DeLores Pressley is dedicated to helping people take action to launch bold, confident and courageous lives. She is the CEO of DeLores Pressley Worldwide and Founder of the Global Up Woman™ Network—a movement to empower and elevate women in business. She may be reached online. Those interested in her Speaker Success Summits specifically may reach her here.