5 Reasons Not to Give Up

[Dress H&M; Tights Target; Boots H&M; Necklace Forever 21- old similar; Watch New York and Company]

{Photos: Shot by Kelley B.}

When we think about the idea giving up, the negative aspects often come to mind. We think about why the diet is too hard to follow, how the workout routine is too challenging, the amount of time we’ve been trying to advance our career with no silver lining in sight. The list can go on and I’m sure in this area it can be a pretty exhaustive one for most people. But what about the opposite end of the spectrum? Why should we not give up?

Focusing on the topic of motivation this week, I thought this would be a great time to explore the positive aspects that will promote not giving up. It’s February already and let’s face it, a lot of us are beating ourselves up about not achieving the January goals we were so eager to accomplish around 12/30/15-01/02/16. But look at it this way – it’s only February! You have time! And even if time isn’t on your side for your specific goal, keep going anyway!

Not too long ago I was talking to a friend about a road bump I was facing. She said “it will all work out”. My response was “it better or else I’m running off to Mexico to start a new life”. As exciting as that sounded at the time (and still does some days), she reminded me that south of the border was where I wasn’t going because things will in fact work out. All that to say, we all need a positive reminder every now and then to not give up. And I’m in the boat with you! (Waves from the front of the boat while checking out the view. 🙂 ) Here’s a few reasons to keep in mind as to why to keep plugging along.

5 Reasons Not to Give Up

1) Someone is watching you.

And no, not in an eerie, stalker way. But seriously, whether you know it or not you may be an inspiration to someone. I often hear people referencing this idea when they strive to keep going because of their children. This is an awesome motivator as to why to not give up. Though there could be others you are inspiring as well. Perhaps there’s that mentee (formally or informally), a spouse or significant other who can use a boost themselves, or maybe a close family member or friend who could be down on their luck. Whether you realize it or not, you may be someone else’s hero-motivator extraordinaire.

2) You know the possibilities if you don’t continue but an amazing unknown is ahead of you if you keep going.

Ever feel like you’re in a bubble? Or living in a comfort zone that’s way more stagnant than full of growth? Most likely you do because these feelings are strong promoters of dreams and goals. It is likely that even if you’re content in your current space, you’re looking to grow or reach a new level in some way. So if you continue where you are, you already know what will happen. While this is comfortable, it limits the possibilities that may lie ahead. You’ll never know these possibilities if you remain in your bubble.

3) Your intuition is, most likely, going to nag you if you do attempt to quit.

This one is probably a message to myself but I’m sure someone else can relate. You know when you feel in your gut that it’s time to move in a certain direction or grow to another level? You then proceed to start second guessing yourself or attempt to convince yourself that it’s not the right time. Everything seems okay and you go along as planned in your comfort zone. But then that nagging voice or feeling starts getting more intense. It antagonizes you until you make a move toward that original dream or goal you set out for to begin with. Your intuition pushes you toward that accomplishment that was meant for you to work for, not the temporary comfort that you would like to keep going along with.

4) You’ve come this far, so why undo all the work?

Now this point can be a little challenging because we often do not know when a particular dream will become reality. There are some dreams or goals that we do have a set timeline of, for instance graduating from school. However other pursuits such as trying to open a business or buy a home may present a few more unknowns that could affect what was our ideal timeframe. But the unknown is not a reason to waive the white flag. Even if you don’t know when your dream may come to pass, keep going. No matter how far or close you are in measurement to the achievement of that goal, you’re always going to be closer than when you started. Always. So why sacrifice the blood, sweat and tears (literally and figuratively) in vain?

5) Your future will thank you.

How many people have you heard tell a success story that involved something happening overnight? (Unless you’re the mega millions winner. If so, congrats!) Unusually success stories involve some sort of obstacles, long suffering, defeat, rejection or combination of all the above. And usually those factors that are externally negative typically become internal promoters of the drive and motivation that gets one to the finish line. As they say, don’t just go through an experience – grow through it. In the future, it will all come full circle in the most positive way.

Giving up is easy and at times it seems warranted granted all the difficulties that may come across our paths. But our future success will far outweigh the temporary discomfort.  So let’s keep going!