How common is that people get discouraged by knowing more about where they're currently at if that place is far from their ideals?

Being encouraged is the very first step to reaching any success in anything. Without it, you won't have the will to carry out all the necessary actions for things to happen. People tend to have sparks of inspiration or motivation, which gets them on the track in reaching their ambitions. Then they find out all the things they'll have to do, or even worse, they don't see what they'll have to do, they just see how far they're from their goals. That's when the act of 'giving up' happens. The most common, unfortunate process of giving up happens in through 3 steps;

1 - Spark of inspiration and motivation

We all have our ideals and we're chasing them throughout all our life. They may dominate in various segments of our desires, but the principle is the same. We see what we want, and we're searching for the simplest and best way to get there. Often, the roads to those ideals are clouded, and we can't see them clearly. But then, something opens up - new information or opportunity happens - and we get motivated to go for it.

2 - More information comes in

After we're enthusiastic around finally knowing how to obtain what we want, new information comes in. It's mostly pretty realistic and breaking up our illusions of easy success and get it quick approach, thus, discouraging us and lowering our motivation.

3 - Giving up

After we realise how far we're from what we want, and all the things we'll have to go throguh to get, we often give up.

What is the solution here?

The solution lies in you and it's quite simple - let the new information encourage you!

This is a click that has to happen in your head. Get yourself in the act of doing instead in the act of thinking about what you'll have to be doing. When you start working things get easier, since you focus your energy on the narrow aspect of your current topic of work, instead on finding yourself helpless in front of the big picture.

The big picture is here to help you out with plans and preparations. Take everything you have learned and put it on the side of your plans. The more you know about where you're going and what you'll have to go through will let you prepare easily. You basically have to find a way to make new information effect positively on you, that's why you should focus on the desired result and benefits of it. Think about it as a crossing road - one way takes you closer to your ideals, and another takes you away from them. At each moment you get discouraged by new things you learn, you're putting yourself away from what you really want in life.