No matter who you are, be it a successful entrepreneur or a dedicated teacher, there will be a time when you will feel that no matter what you do, you’re not getting anywhere. You’re stuck. And you doubt yourself. And you feel like you want to give up on everything.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
Tough times, challenges, setbacks, hardships; these are times that will determine the course of your future.
When you feel like giving up and you choose to quit, everything ends there. You put your goals and your dreams on hold.
For how long? Nobody knows. Maybe you will never begin or even talk about your dreams ever again.
Giving up is easy. That’s why most people are not living their dreams.
They choose to do the comfortable and take the easy path. They let the hardships and challenges stop them from moving forward. They quit.
But, if you want are serious to be successful, if you are truly committed to your goals, and if you absolutely must achieve your dreams, you will never give up.
You will do whatever it takes to break out of the rut, to find ways to overcome the difficulties and to turn your defeats into your wins.
That’s what separates you from the rest. That is what extraordinary people do that makes them successful.
It is not easy to achieve outstanding results in life. You have to go through a lot of setbacks, challenges, and tough times to become someone worthy of the success that you desire.
So what should you do when you feel like giving up? Here are 20 suggestions…
1. Think about how far you have come
When you feel like quitting, don’t focus on the problems or the failures. Instead, choose to think about how far you have come. Always keep your eyes on the prizes, the rewards, and the success that you want, not on the problems or your worry.
2. Stop comparing yourself to others
You will feel down when you try to compare yourself with others. When you think about it, there is no such thing as a success or a failure. There are just results. It is when you compare your results with others, you put a label on yourself that you are a “success” or a “failure”. So don’t compare yourself with others, especially when you feel like giving up.
3. Do it one more time
So what if you fail? Tell yourself that it doesn’t matter that if you fail. You can always dust yourself off, get back up, and do it one more time. Please understand that you may need to fight a battle more than once to win it. Hence, do not give up and keep trying until you get there. Just do it one more round.
4. Focus on “WIN”
I learned from the book, Essentialism, that “WIN” means “What’s Important Now”. Hence, whenever you’re in doubt, focus on the WIN. Think about what’s important now and do it. What you worry are just thoughts you created in your head. And your problems will go away when you focus on what you can do at this moment, not tomorrow.
5. Seek help and get the support you need
One of the best things you should do when you’re about to give up is to seek help and find the support you need. You can’t succeed alone. You need help. No one is an island, my friend. Thus, when you’re in trouble and you feel like you can’t cope with it, get help.
6. Learn from your mistakes and failures
Before you give up, think about the lessons and experience you gained from your progress. Remember, success comes from good judgment. Good judgment comes from experience. And experience usually comes from bad judgment. Therefore, the more difficulties you are going through, the better you can grow.
7. Feel the pain of regret if you give up
Which will you choose? The pain of progress or the pain of regret? See yourself 10 years from now that you have given up on your dreams, will you feel regret? Do you waste another year of your life going nowhere? Do you want something better? So feel the pain of regret and then decide that you will never give up no matter what happens.
8. Reconnect with your purpose
Before you decide to quit, think about all the reasons why you started. So what are your purpose? Why do you do it in the first place? When your reason is strong and emotional enough, it will drive you through the hard times and be the support you need to overcome every obstacle in the journey.
9. Accept that things are going to be tough
You have to understand that hardships and failures are normal. They are part of life. And hence, you must learn to accept them. So what if you feel like giving up just because things are tough? That’s normal. Just accept it and look past it. Learn to embrace challenges so that you can transform and become someone better.
10. Do what makes you feel happy
Sometimes, it is difficult to continue on. But what you can do is to do something else that makes you feel happy. When you’re feeling stuck and are going nowhere, do your hobby. Do you love to swim? Go for it. Do you love outdoor and hiking? Then do it. After you get back, you will feel so much better and in a good mood to handle your problems.
11. Imagine the future that you want
Always envision the future that you want. Think about all the great things that are going to happen if you persist and succeeded. What if you successfully build your business to the million-dollar mark and your dreams come true? What if you manage to earn a lot of money and buy yourself the dream car that you have always wanted? Again, focus on the positive, my friend.
12. Tough it out until the tide turns
Just press forward and keep moving. When life puts you in tough situations, don’t say “why me”, say, “try me”. Whenever you feel like giving up, remember these words from Martin Luther King:
“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but by all means, keep moving.”
13. Talk to positive people who have been there
Try to talk to someone who has been there and who is willing to share his or her encouragement with you. When you can relate that others can do it, you will believe that you can do it too. This will spark your hope and boost your morale again.
14. Take a short break
Feel like quitting? Don’t, instead, go and take a short break. Whether it is a day trip or a few days away, it can recharge you. Even during your workday, whenever you feel like giving up on a task, try to take a break and come back later. You will feel much better.
15. Give yourself a pep-talk
There are times that all you need is a little pep-talk. Telling yourself things like, “I can do it,” or “I’m destined for big success,” or “If they can do it, so can I.” You just need to keep repeating it, whether in your mind or saying it out loud. Feel the words and feel the emotions. Eventually, you will put yourself in a better mood.
16. Read stories of how successful people have done it
Another thing you can do to prevent yourself from giving up is to read the success stories from others. You will feel even more inspiring when you can relate to the stories. For example, if you are having hard times building a successful business online, read books about how others created their success online. This will surely drive you.
17. Think about all the good things that can happen
You have to be optimistic and always think about all the good things that can happen to you. Even if you fail, ask yourself what you can learn from the experience. Ask yourself, “What’s good about this?”
“Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows.”
18. Acknowledge that your thoughts are just suggestions
Your thought of giving up is just a suggestion from your mind because you are in a lousy mood. But when you are in good mood, the thought of giving up will never appear. Thus, your thoughts are just temporary suggestions. You just need to change your mood, focus on something else, and persist.
19. Listen to some uplifting tunes
This is another great way to elevate your emotion. Whenever you feel down or doubt yourself, listen to inspirational songs. Sing along if you want to. Let the tunes change your mood, and hence, your thoughts.
20. Just take one small step
You don’t have to see the entire staircase, you just need to take one small step at a time. All you need to do whenever you feel like giving up is to make progress. And you don’t have to take bold steps, just baby steps. It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you don’t give up and keep going.
21. Understand that everything is part of life
In life, there will be ups and downs. Just like sometimes it will rain. And usually, after the rain, you have a better chance of seeing the rainbow.
Everything is part of life. It is normal to have tough times, challenges, and hardships in life. They are necessary because they are there to grow you and transform you. Like what Les Brown suggests, treat your bad days as your character-building day.
So whenever you feel like giving up, take up the suggestions here and do something about it. And don’t give up.
“Success is the ability to move from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm.”
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