Recently, I ran into a gentleman that I used to work with many years ago. While catching up on what we’ve been doing professionally, he noticed my Omega Psi Phi lanyard and after hitting me with; “I didn’t know you were a Que, Spence”, he proceeded to tell me about his aspirations and attempt to join my fraternity years ago. He lamented that it was one of those things he had wished he’d never given up on. Listening to him talk, and even thinking about my own personal journey, I could see the pain from quitting may haunt him forever.
Why People Give Up
Most people know that quitting is something they will regret in the long run, yet many still do it. An educated mind would think, “if you knew you would regret it, why did you give up?” The answer to that is in the context of when the knowledge is obtained. Meaning, we only learn that we would regret giving up after its too late. When we are in the midst of the thing that we are pondering quitting, we rationalize that giving up is the only option; or at the very least, the best option. I didn’t get into the gentleman’s story, but I can surmise the reasons he decided not to pursue Omega Psi Phi. Many have made that same decision and have turned the other way. In most cases, giving up isn’t a matter of ones capabilities, but their mental capacity.
The biggest barrier to continuing a tough course is focusing on how hard the task is. Whether its changing careers, joining an organization, playing a sport, or even repairing a struggling marriage or relationship, taking the road less traveled or quitting seems easy. When things get difficult, we start to mentally haze ourselves up and many times we talk ourselves right out of our blessings. We tell ourselves “I will never make it”, “It’s not even worth it”, or “This is too hard”. We even throw religion into the mix and say “This wasn’t what God had for me”, “That’s not my anointing”, etc. And though there are times where we press forward against God’s will and don’t find success, this focus is on giving up on something that IS for you! If you want to be successful, you can’t allow fear and the pressure from things getting difficult to derail you from your goals. To put it bluntly, you have to get outta your own head!
Three Things to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up
1. PRAY! I can’t state that any more plainly. Seek God’s face and ask him for the strength to continue.
2. Go Harder! I always tell my training clients to get to the point where they feel like they are on the last rep, and then do one more! Go harder and push past that point where giving up seems to be the best option… You are one step closer to your goals.
3. Think about how quitting will haunt you! As I stated earlier, we learn how much giving up haunts us when it’s too late, but if you think about how it will feel to be haunted by giving up and how much it will hurt, you’ll keep pushing.
Remember, quitting is easy, but if you give up, it’s going to haunt you! If all else fails, lean on the familiar text of Galatians 6:9 “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season you will reap a harvest, if you faint not”
It may not feel like it, but know that your breakthrough is coming – don’t quit now!