I have seen some on this board who have viewed their trip as "sacrificing". I wanted to make sure you weren't falling into that trap, because none of them lasted very long.
I like to say look at it as though we are climbing down a cliff. If you have ever climbed down a cliff, you realize it is actually harder than going up. The reason being is that going up you see what is in front of you. Going down you are blind and have to make small move at a time!