Have you ever been excited to start something new and put all your energy into it? Maybe you wanted to start a blog, write a book, create your own business, or something else that you are passionate about.
It’s exciting to start new things with high hopes for a successful outcome. You are super motivated and work hard. Then you suddenly realize that months have gone by and you are not where you thought you would be.
That little voice inside you that started out telling you that “you can do this” has suddenly changed its tune to “you can’t do this!”
That’s when you feel like giving up on the very thing that you were excited about!
I have to admit that sometimes I feel like giving up. I remember when I started blogging many years ago. I was excited about my new online business. Every post I wrote was a fun new adventure for me.
But seriously, after like three months I wasn’t any further along! I really cared about what I was doing and felt so down and started doubting whether I could make it work.
Other people in my life questioned the time and effort I was putting into something that was getting me nowhere. But you know what? In that fourth month, I start getting a ton of traffic to my blog and making money!
What would have happened if had quit when I felt like it? I was so close to success but didn’t know it at the time.
Today I have 5 ways for you to stay motivated when you feel like you want to quit.
You never know how close YOU are to success. It can be tomorrow, next week or two months from now. If you give up, you’ll never find out. These tips helped me to stick with it and I know they can help you too!
The Must Have List when You Want to Give Up
If you are having thoughts about giving up on your dream, you can turn those thoughts around.
1 – Remember that Nothing worth Doing is Easy
Giving up is easy, isn’t it? Just stop what you are doing and go back to your life the way it was. Before you do that, remember that whatever it is you want to accomplish is challenging. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
But YOU are not everyone. You are special and have what it takes to make it happen. If you didn’t , you would not have put yourself on this path in the first place.
When you feel like giving up remember that you are a special person that has what it takes to keep going.
When I felt like giving up on myself, I reached deep inside myself to find the strength to move forward. You have that strength too. You just have to remember that your path has challenges. Every challenge will get you closer to your goal.
You may feel like you have not made any progress. But if you break it down, you’ll see that you have made progress. It may be slower than you want but it’s progress.
Do me a favor, don’t give up until you read this book, it’s both hilarious and inspiring – “I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons.“
2 – Remember Why You Began Your Journey
Seriously, the next time you feel like quitting, remember why you started. Real motivation comes from deep inside you. Revisit your reason for starting your journey and what it means to you.
Maybe you started because you were tired of the ways things were. You wanted to change your life in some way. For me, I was unhappy with corporate life and wanted more freedom to do the things I love.
What is your deepest desire? If you quit you’ll NEVER achieve it!
Tap into the very reasons that set you on this path. Create that fire in your belly which will fuel your inner motivation to keep moving forward.
If you want more out of life, it takes work. Look at how far you have come on your journey.
Video – How to Get Motivated to do Something
3 – You Are Not Alone
You may feel like you are the only person that is feeling like giving up or a failure. But believe me, you are not alone. The majority of successful people have had more failures than successes.
They succeed because they learn from:
- Failures
- Mistakes
- Lack of confidence
You can let these things get you down or build you up. Have you ever heard of “an overnight success?” Usually they were years in the making. You just rarely hear about that part!
Regardless of what you are pursuing, remember that others went before you and succeeded. That means one thing: it is doable! YOU can do it too.
Grab my FREE ebook, Essentials to Build a Life you Love!
4 – Surround Yourself with Like-Minded People
If you want to be successful as a blogger, then hang around successful bloggers. For example, all too often I see new bloggers taking advice from guess what? New bloggers!
No! Look for the people who have already had success and learn from them.
- What are their habits?
- What is their daily method of operation?
- What skills do they have?
- How do they think?
- Who do they surround themselves with?
You can learn from these people. Stop hanging around people who bring you down or don’t contribute to making you a better person and help you to keep going!
Video: Motivation to Move Forward
5 – Consider how you will Feel if You Stay Where you are in Life
Think about your life in a year. Do you want to be exactly where you are now or where you were 6 months ago? Keep that vision close when those feelings of giving up start taking over.
When I think about staying at a corporate job, I cringe. That’s enough to keep me going. I visualize what my life would be like if I stayed on that path. It would not be good for me or my family!
Any journey to success is not easy but what are your choices:
- Stay exactly where you are
- Move forward
Which of these will you choose? Think about life a year from now. What is it that you want to remember about this time? That you gave up or you pushed yourself to success?
Final Thoughts
You owe it to yourself to keep going. We all have doubts and feelings about wanting to give up. Going backwards is not the answer. If this path is not right for you, perhaps you need to adjust it a bit.
No matter what you are pursing, YOU can do this!
It is such a motivating read. Has happened to me several times. I usually do what you mentioned – reminding myself that noting worth the effort is easy and I am not alone.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful post.
Thanks Archana! So glad you enjoyed this post about not giving up. We all feel like it from time to time but moving forward is the best choice.
This is a motivational article. We need to motivate us no matter what👍
#4 is so true!!! This is life changing!
Great motivational post. I totally the feeling of wanting to quit – it is when you have tried, tried and tried and but with only limited progress. Its just no point quitting because the alternatives are probably dire.
Exactly! Usually when you try and try with no results, it’s because you need to uplevel your skills to move forward.
These are great tips! I especially liked #2, Remember why you started your journey. It’s easy to lose sight of our long-terms goals when we get bogged down in our daily work.
Thanks Matthew! You are so right. People get so bogged down they forget why they started. Revisiting the WHY can help energize someone who is worn out from trying.
Best
Lisa