Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Newsflash: It’s not easier to give up. It’s actually way more difficult.

Every. single. time. You give up, here’s what you’re sacrificing.

Opportunities That ‘Could Have Been’ and Personal Growth

Giving up on a goal or aspiration leads to regret and the realization that you missed out on potential opportunities for growth, learning, and success.

You’ll be stuck wondering what could have been if only you had continued to persevere.

When you give up, you miss out on the chance to become stronger, more determined, and more capable of facing future challenges.

The journey toward a goal often involves personal growth, resilience, and character development. Look for that as signs of progress rather than reaching specific milestones or an ultimate goal which is can sometimes be out of your control.

Self-Esteem and Confidence

When you give up, it negatively impacts your self-esteem and confidence.

Failing to overcome challenges makes you doubt your abilities and undermines your belief in yourself.

Every time you give up on something, you prove to yourself that you were never able to achieve it in the first place.

This creates a mindset of complacency and the inability to succeed, whether the odds are easy or difficult.

Going through hard things is one of the best ways to build your confidence and self-esteem…not daily affirmations in the mirror. When you survive hardships and see it out to the other side, you prove to yourself that you’re strong enough to endure the challenges of life and come out the other side a better person.

Satisfaction with Life

Giving up on something important to you results in emotional distress, disappointment, and feelings of defeat.

This emotional toll can be challenging to overcome and will affect other areas of your life.

The emotional toll creates themes of dissatisfaction with your life, your career, your passions, and more.

When you’re unsatisfied, you’re likely also unhappy, and this penetrates every aspect of your life, whether explicitly or implicitly.

Satisfaction and fulfillment in life don’t come from things that have been handed to you. When you work hard and push through obstacles, you find greater satisfaction not only in your life but also in your abilities.

Your Impact on Others

Your decision to give up can have consequences not only for yourself but also for those who were counting on you or inspired by your efforts.

Quitting can let down family, friends, colleagues, or teammates who were supporting you. It can even impact strangers who were going to benefit from your contribution.

You were made to make positive contributions to the world. Don’t let those who depend on your knowledge, creativity, and abilities down.

Our decisions have ripple effects that we often aren’t aware of. We have the ability to deeply impact the lives of those around us and every time we give up on something, we’re sacrificing our ability to do so.

INSTEAD OF GIVING UP

Find New Strategies

If your current strategy isn’t bringing you success in the way you envisioned it would, it’s time to pivot.

Staying flexible is crucial in the ability to recognize what isn’t working and why, and the steps you can take to change direction.

Part of this is admitting to yourself that your current strategy isn’t working and actually deciding to take a different route.

Sometimes, when we have systems in place that work for us (but aren’t necessarily working for our goals) we’re slow to pivot because we don’t want to change. Being flexible is incredibly important as you will likely pivot multiple times in your journey to success in order to find what not only works for you but also what works for your goals.

Seek support

A big part of your personal success in anything is the support of others.

Whenever I’ve been at my lowest in writing, I’ve been met with random messages from friends, family, and acquaintances of support. I am blessed to have a circle of people who ask me how my writing is going and consistently read my articles.

Without the support I have, I’m not sure how far I’d make it in anything in life.

Being a lone wolf in life may be an attractive narrative, but it’s not one you ever truly want to live out. Pursuing something by yourself makes it 10x easier to give up because you feel like you’re the only one who will be let down. Having people around you shouldn’t add pressure, it should give you the support needed to push through the tough times.

Practice Self-Compassion

It can get really hard when you’re pursuing your dreams and ambitions, spending every day working towards them, but getting no recognition or only seeing stagnant progression.

These are the times when it’s especially important to practice self-compassion.

In life, no one is going to give you the compassion that you can give yourself, especially when times are tough.

Self-compassion and positive self-talk could be the two things that keep up from giving up when times are tough. Never undervalue the mental narrative you have about yourself and your goals.

Real Talk

You should never think it’s easier to give up on your dreams than it is to continue to pursue them.

Giving up means you’ll have to suffer the consequences of doing so, the consequences of not actualizing your dreams…your destiny.

Greatness is not given, it’s earned. And part of earning it means sticking through hardships and committing to the long game.

If you’re in a place where you feel like you’re about ready to give up, just push through one more week, one more writing session, and record one more song.

Opportunities are waiting for you; you just have to see them.