5 Things to Do When You Want to Give Up

I’ll be honest, I started this blog and the image of Cynspo so that I could inspire. I started it because I wanted you to be the best you that you could be, and that means living your best life. This blog was designed to motivate and inspire you to do whatever your little heart desired. I never thought I’d be sitting here writing 5 things to do when you want to give up.

Related Post: 10 Signs You’re Stuck in a Rut, and How to Get Out

Behind the Scenes

My deep dark little secret is that sometimes I don’t even feel inspired. Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m living my best life, and sometimes I just feel like I’m plain old failing at whatever I’m trying to do.

As I sit here writing this post after a 12 hour nursing shift that I feel like I did everything but excel, I feel that exact way. Why did I even start nursing? Why did I even start this blog? What would happen if I just quit everything?

And That’s When it Hit Me.

The universe tells us that everything worth having is worth the struggle. We are told constantly that we can’t reap the rewards without putting in the work. No pain no gain. Work hard play hard.

We know this, so why do we feel so rotten when we do struggle? Why do we always showcase the reward, but never the struggle? It’s partly to do with the fact that no one shares the dirty details of the struggle.

No one publicizes that they wrote a blog post that they thought was bomb when in reality it bombed. No one publicizes that they are not as far ahead in their blog than they expected to be at this point. And definitely no one publicizes that they accidentally dumped a bed pan down their leg when they tried to empty it (except me, I’ll fully admit to this one).

But that feeling of wanting to quit? Yeah that’s real. There are a few times I’ve admitted out loud that I wanted to quit. And for every time I’ve admitted it, there were hundreds of other times I’ve thought it.

Why Do We Feel So Alone When We Want to Give Up?

Because no one else is outwardly admitting the same thing. If we look at the typical trend of progress, we assume it’s going to look like a straight line into a pot of gold, and we couldn’t be more wrong. For me, progress has looked and felt like the world’s hilliest rollercoaster.

Because everyone makes it seem like they skyrocketed to success without even remotely facing hardship. That would just steal thunder from the success they achieved.

But the truth is, behind every success is a series of failures and disappointments. However, there was also the will to move on, push past those difficulties, and come back even stronger.

What Do I Want From You?

Glad you asked. The next time you feel like you’re ready to quit, ready to throw in the towel and sit, cry and scream at the universe. Don’t. Cry, kick, scream and throw a fit. But do not quit.

I want you to sit and think. I want you to seriously sit and contemplate what you’re about to do. I’ve been a quitter. I’ve quit things before, and I can tell you that I’ve gained nothing from quitting them. I always imagine where I would be if I had just stuck it out and hadn’t stopped.

5 Things to Do When You Want to Give Up

The next time you feel like you want to give up, remember the things I’m about to tell you.

1. Remember Why You Started

There was a reason you started this journey. Something inside of your soul was set on fire and you wanted to do this. Think back to the person you were and the passion you had. Dive into that passion and bathe yourself in it. If you can remember exactly why you started, you are likely not to go back on why you did. If you need a little help to remember, click here.

2. Take a Break.

Maybe you need a small break. To gather your thoughts and sort your ideas out. You may need a new game plan, to get you back on track. There is nothing wrong with taking a break. Breaks can be mentally an emotionally recharging when you’re blazing a trail into your wildest dreams.

Hesitant on taking a break? Here’s a little more reassurance for why its OK to take a break!

3. Rethink Your Strategy

Is what you’re doing working? Are you doing the same thing and not getting the results you want? There are benefits to sitting down and taking a look at what you’re doing to get to where you want to be. If it’s not working, a little change may be in order. Coming up with a new game plan may be the exact edge you need to crush your project.

4. Give Yourself Some Credit

Stop at wherever you’re at in your journey, and praise yourself. You’ve made it this far, and even if you do want to quit, look at all that you’ve accomplished! It would take an incredibly smart, talented and driven person to even get as far as you have. Don’t sell yourself short. You are amazing and deserving of credit!

5. Rise

The opposite of quitting is rising. You may have had a moment of weakness where you really wanted to just give up. I’m telling you, these moments make you stronger. When you realize you can overcome the challenges you are facing, you come out that much stronger. You may need a few days to see the potential you have within you, but don’t give up!

Takeaways

Every day is not going to be your best day. You are going to want to quit and that’s totally normal. However, you can overcome this feeling. Take some time for yourself to figure out why you started your journey. Analyze, assess and intervene. You’ve got this. Feeling like you want to quit does not make you any less worthy of success. You’re exactly on the right track.

Did this help? Do you have any other tips? Let me know in the comments!