What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up

The difference between those that succeed and those that don't is that they don't give up.  It sounds simpler than we know it is.  But at it's core, the truest path to succeed in anything is to keep going.

But all of us have points in our life where we have to choose.  Does this sound familiar?  You have put what you believe is your life and soul into something, spent countless hours toiling away at it, sacrificed many things for it, but you still haven't reached what you consider success.  You still haven't broken through and hit the levels you know (or think) you should be at.  At this point, the thoughts and doubts start to come into your head. Why am I doing this?  Why do I continue day after day?  Will I ever get the results I should? Should I even continue doing this?

Maybe you start to feel dejected and like a failure.  You think about giving up - and it doesn't sound so bad. You gave it your best right?

Everyone goes through times like this in their lives.  It is not that we go through them that matters.  It is how we respond to them.

So, what do you do when you feel like giving up?

1. Realize that many before you have been here before.  You are not alone and you won't be the last. But, you do have the choice of what you are going to do at the moment.  It is yours to make.
2. Get some perspective.  Many of the greatest successes we study, read about or see in life, came after getting to many points of giving up - from people like Colonel Sanders to Steve Jobs (who was actually forced out of his own company) to Winston Churchill during WWII - they all kept going and things changed for them.  They can and will for you too.  Remember, people are praised in public for all of the hard work, sacrifice, and pain they went through in private that the public never really sees.
3. Don't be afraid to go a different way to accomplish the goal.  The definition of insanity is doing that same thing over and over gain and expecting a different result, like a lemming.  Look at adjusting your strategy and tactics to find a better way to make it happen.  Sometimes it is best to get away from things for a little while or have someone else take a look and give your honest feedback. You will see things from a different angle or perspective and that will spur ideas and action.
4. Take control of your thoughts.  Those thoughts running through your brain - Are they yours?  Do you agree with them?  Do you want to question yourself and your abilities?  Probably not.  Stop letting them run you.  Take control and when a thought comes into your mind that you don't agree with it, stop it, and redirect to the thought you want to have.
5. Lastly, believe in yourself.  For God's sake believe in yourself, you abilities, you power, your spirit, your willingness to make things come true.  You are more powerful than you can ever imagine and can break through and reach where you want to go.  Use #3 and make changes, seek out help. use #4 and take control.  Find the way and make the way, but...

                        Don't ever give up or give in on your life's pursuits!