Refuse To Quit When All Others Give In

“…never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour…” – Winston Churchill

There are times when throwing in the towel seems like the reasonable next step. You look around you and you cannot ignore the evidence. The situation is tough. The support has dwindled. Hope seems too distant to carry you back to faith in the dream. Looking to the surrounding people does not offer comfort. They are also in such hopeless situations that they, too, are giving up. Quitting seems safe and logical.

In such moments, refuse to give in like everyone else. While their dreams are out of their reach and they decide to settle for comfortable pursuits like a boring desk job or relationship, you do not have to suffer the same fate. 

Sometimes it is good to take cues from your friends and peers, but your dreams are your own. Their failure and the circumstances that cause them to give up are unique to them in their own journey. Your story could be different. It may not call you to quit. Maybe the circumstances that surround you are there to help you dig deep within yourself for the strength you never knew you had. There is hope for you yet, and it is clothed in mental toughness.

Reasons people give up on their dreams.

Many people are relentless in building their vision, but they lack the adequate planning and execution to get things done. We get excited at the prospect of the vision, but sometimes, we are too hasty. We go in without a contingency plan. The frustration that results from each setback ruins our mojo. We lose confidence in the dream. 

Other people have the right dream and fool-proof plans, but lack the conviction they need for take-off. They lack confidence in their ability to bring the vision to life.

Another reason people give up is because they lack the patience it takes to reach their goal. They want instantaneous results. When they do not see them in a couple of weeks, they decide it is not worth pursuing and move on to the next dream. Nothing of value springs up overnight. Even flowers bloom in season, no matter how much you water and nourish them. You cannot skip your way up Kilimanjaro. It requires one patient step at a time to get to the top. 

People also do not know how to handle failure. When they encounter setbacks, they obsess over them instead of working around them. They beat themselves up over one misstep instead of finding their footing. Failure becomes a label they wear around them instead of a season to draw lessons from as they carry on with the journey.

Quitting is inevitable to people who refuse to adapt to change. Rigidity will cause you to break under the pressures of life. Many are reluctant to change tact when things are not going well. They would rather be stubborn and hold on to what is not working because anything outside of their plan is too intimidating.

Why you should not give up on yourself.

There is no guarantee of success on the first or second try, or even on the hundredth. Thomas Edison is living proof of that. So is Albert Einstein. No one hands success to you on a silver platter. You have to work for it. 

There are rewards for those who are persistent. Those who do not take no for an answer. When you apply a stubborn attitude to a tough moment, it will yield tremendous success. Do not give up on yourself just because everyone else has. No matter how bleak the situation gets, there is always hope for recovery.

Not giving up will have a great impact on your future. It may even touch lives around you. There are those whose destinies are linked to yours. Do not let them suffer the consequences of you giving up on your dreams.

How to resist the urge to quit.

Sure, the season may be tough. Everyone around you may be quitting. Those you trust to support you may lack faith in the dream. They can even encourage you to try something else; something that is not challenging enough to put you in the path of failure. There are few ways that can help you stay strong and not quit.

Keep the vision close.

Start with the end in mind. Whenever you visualize the completion of your dream, you are building resistance against failure. Each time you paint a picture of success, there is motivation to attain it. You do the work better knowing there is a goal in mind.

Develop a winning attitude.

A winning mindset will get you far. It will not let your vocabulary revolve around quitting. People who win affirm themselves. They build confidence by constantly telling themselves that they will not give up. Have the same attitude. Refuse to take no for an answer.

Believe that a delay is not denial.

Good things come to those who wait.        

Patience will always build resilience. When you know that success does not happen overnight, you will not quit when things seem to go slower than you expected. Instead, you will exercise caution and plan for the next endeavor or spend more time revising the plan.

Do not worry over what you cannot fix.

Constant worry over what you cannot control will drive you to quit. Accept that there are certain things that you cannot prevent in your journey. Failure is one of them. People’s actions and attitudes are another. People may ridicule your dream. You cannot control them or govern what they will do. What you have control over is your response to them. If your dream is something you believe in, worry only about achieving it.

People will walk away from their dreams. They will quit to avoid being hurt, disappointed or embarrassed. You do not have to join them. Fight for your dream. When they quit, show your loyalty to your dream by refusing to give up.