Why should I not give up? What will I achieve?

 I WILL NOT GIVE UP - Powerful Motivational Speech

Why is it important not to give up?

Real success does not happen in the blink of an eye. You can't just wish to accomplish something and expect that it will be given to you quickly.

Real success comes with pain, winning over trials, overcoming obstacles, and persevering despite various failures.

Today's most successful people have shown to us how determination and belief in ourselves can lead us to massive success. We should never develop an 'I give up' attitude.

 What Happens When You Develop a Never Give Up Attitude?

There are rewards we can achieve when we decide not to give up amid our journey to success. Below are some of the reasons why you should adopt a never give up attitude.

 

#1 You will eliminate your fears. Significant things such as job promotion, graduation, a new house, relationships, and overcoming pains are defining moments of your perseverance and efforts. All these are the results of yourself who chose to continue reaching for the goals instead of stopping and giving up. A never give up attitude can be used to abolish doubts and negative thinking to make you stronger in facing everything.

Your success was the sweetest when you realized what you came through and what tough times have you defeated before you reach those goals. It's all about the attitude that aids in commencing a battle. It's about the way you continue that battle with the faith of winning in life.

 I'VE COME TOO FAR TO QUIT - Best Motivational Video

#2 New opportunities for creativity will open for you. Some of us are raised in this world with the belief of conforming with the rules of society. Because of that, our mindset is also allowed with limited capabilities. Instead of thinking about how to be creative and abundantly, we then begin to live with limited skills and dreams.

When we have a never give up attitude, we then start to see our real life's worth and dare ourselves to do unlimited things. We explore our talents and showcase our capabilities to create better things for ourselves and the whole society. We begin discovering the importance of creativity, and how being creative helps you find better opportunities and fresh, new perspectives in life.

 

#3 You dare to try things other people are afraid to do. When you choose never to give up, you will be taught how to put efforts on all fields of life, be it in sports, hobbies, physical health, or overall well-being. Because of that, you will be motivated to aim for more significant results of your actions towards your dreams. You will take risks of doing the things others are afraid of.

That makes you have an edge from others. You will have that high spirit and an attitude of being hungry for opportunity. You choose to become strong instead of focusing on your weak attitudes.

 

#4 Your desire will be ignited. What makes us dream and start taking actions in our life? We desire to achieve something and become a person we always dream to be. As the famous author, Napoleon Hill stated, "Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire, which transcends everything."

The common problem for some people nowadays is that they lack the motivation and drive to push themselves to the risky paths of success. We need to have our desire to be continuously ignited. We all have dreams and goals we want to realize and achieve. We should keep moving and keep ourselves motivated – from start to finish.

 

#5 Your emotional intelligence is improved. One primary key to make things work out successfully is your emotional intelligence. It is the ability to be aware of, express, and control your emotions.  There are times when we gave our 100% effort, but still, the goals we plan to achieve didn't go well as we expected.

We fail, and we may fail again. It is fine that we lose sometimes. Think this matter as a normal part of any process. What's important is how you learn from such loss, and you will use the lessons learned from those failures. When you can effectively handle your emotions in times like that, you can control the damage and become more efficient in all kinds of situations.

 Before You Give Up, Watch THIS

#6 You will believe that anything you can perceive is possible. What is good in believing that anything is possible is that you will have the energy to power up yourself to take action. When you know that you will capable, you will overcome the things that may hinder your efforts. Often, the measure of success is on the between of your perception and getting out of your comfort zone. It's your will to take actions. Of course, the only answer to that is never to give up.

 

#7 You become prepared for everything. We must put in mind that in every endeavour we have, we need to prepare ourselves for failure. Fear of other people's expectation will make you afraid of taking risks. Be bold and fearless. The more you become ready for everything, the stronger you become and fight harder for your dreams. Because on the contrary, if you give up on the midst of your struggle, then you will not be successful.

 

#8 You develop effective work ethics. Your willingness to do anything for your goals will be your armour from failures. You become more motivated to persevere; thus, you give more value to the work you are doing. You will embrace the fact that there will always be a way to get things done. You learn how to prioritize the things that need to be accomplished first.

 

#9 Never Giving Up Leads You to Happiness. When we achieve success, we feel in our heart how happy we are because all our efforts have paid off. We celebrate with joy because we defeated all the difficult challenges. When we decide not to give up, we can enjoy our life more because there is happiness in success and contentment.

 

#10 You Learn Something New. We learn a lot when we keep going and decide not to give up. We can learn that there are hidden strength and potentials within us. We learn how to keep ourselves motivated. More importantly, we decide not to give up, and we learn how we can effectively convert our failures to success. We become an inspiration to others, and we become capable of doing greater things in the future.

 

Remember this: it may be challenging to start with your dreams and plans, and it may get harder as you work on your journey to achieve success. You may lose the drive and motivation in the journey, and you may think of giving up already. What you need to do is think the reason why you decided to get it started in the first place. Who will benefit from this? How significant is it for you, and why you should do this? The reason why you started and what is the significance of doing it will make you persevere and will not give up – you just have to believe.

10 Reasons to Never Give Up

The words “Give” and “Up” should never be together in your mind. Rather the word NO shouldn’t even be in your dictionary. Without diving into the details simply being part of the human race puts you in a very special group. You are one of the most resilient and strongest species to have ever walked on the earth. Your species has survived thousands of years and you have dominated every single specie on earth by getting right to the very top of the food chain. Just by being a Human, you are practically legendary.

That said when you zoom in to human individuals — life is difficult and when you face setbacks after setbacks, problem after problem, it can get very hard to stay optimistic and keep this same perspective of resilience that is found at the macro level. It gets very difficult to remind yourself that you are strong and that you can get through whatever problem you are facing. When life is tough, giving up always seems like the easiest option. 

The actual reality is, when you feel like giving up,  there is a LOT of untapped inner strength inside of you that you probably haven’t even realized. That is why when you are in a “dark place” it can help to remind yourself of your strengths and your potential so that you can overcome the negativity that creeps into your mind.

These 15 Mantras I will share with you below in this article are simple reminders that will inspire and motivate you in your “dark times” when you just want to stop and give up on whatever you are dealing with. I have used these mantras with great success and I am confident they will help you recharge and will inspire you to keep going!

15 Powerful Reasons Why You Should NEVER Give Up:

1. You Are Alive And You Can

There is only one certainty in life and that is death. As long as you are alive you have no excuse to say you can’t. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything — anything is possible. This might seem like cliché advice for the first mantra but I find this to be extremely important because it reminds you of the ticking clock that is your life. Every second you are hesitating or overthinking or are frozen with anxiety is a second closer to the inevitable yet only certain thing in life, your death.

The KEY SIGNS You're Going To Become SUCCESSFUL & WEALTHY | Patrick Bet-David & Lewis Howes

Some might say this is a morbid way to think, but frankly, I disagree because death is the biggest motivator. Understanding that my time is limited always centers me and helps me to balance my priorities. Most problems and difficulties in life when compared with the ever-looming shadow of death always seem minuscule and is a good reminder to keep going. I’m alive so I CAN continue and I will continue.

 

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. –  Christopher Reeve

The only valid excuse to give up is that you are dead and if you’re reading this well…

2. You Believe In Your Dreams

Would you give up on your family, your spouse or your children? Then why would you give up on yourself? You and your dreams are worth more than that. Don’t sell yourself short and don’t let anybody bring you down. If you can dream it you can do it and your dreams and goals are WORTH PURSUING. There have been millions of dreamers before you and if they had given up the world would not have been the same.

Take the example of the Wright brothers who faced severe ridicule when they tried to make “flight” a reality. Everybody laughed at them and told them it was impossible. They proved the world wrong, and now flight and airplanes are now considered a common means of travel. If they gave up on their dreams we would still be taking “ships” across the ocean and to travel from New York to London would have taken you 3 days and 12 hours!

Be like the Wright Brothers — Never give up on your dreams!

Hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. -Langston Hughes

Never Give Up On Something You Want - Abraham Hicks (Law Of Attraction)

3. You Have Everything You Need

Everything you need to reach your goal is already inside of you. You and the person in your life you may look up to or the person who is your role model are genetically 99.99% the same! This might come as a surprise to you but the reality is people who are successful are not very much different than you. So stop making excuses for yourself!

Be thankful for your God-given capabilities and strive for success. You have all the tools inside of you to persevere and keep going. Do you think great minds like Prophet Muhammad (saw), Aristotle, Martin Luther King Jr. or Steve Jobs never dealt with anxiety or difficulties? They absolutely did and their legacies were built only after they persevered, pushed through and they never gave up!

4. You Don’t Want To Regret This

Regret is the worst feeling a person can feel. Don’t put yourself in that position and do what you have to do, now. Tony Robbins created a “Rocking Chair Test” which he uses with his clients and utilizes the powerful feeling of regret to motivate and inspire people to push through their anxieties. It goes like this:

Take a moment and imagine yourself at 85 years old. You’re in your rocking chair, reflecting on how you’ve lived. Imagine your life if you did whatever it is that makes you anxious or fearful; maybe it’s changing careers, learning to fly a helicopter or taking a trip somewhere new. How do you feel? What’s your life been like as a result of the decision? – Tony Robbins

Reflect on this scenario and put yourself in a position where you don’t regret giving up and are happy that you persevered and pushed through your difficulties.

5. You Need To Prove It To Yourself

You want to prove it to yourself and the world that you can.

Why You Should Never Give Up | Andy Henriquez Motivational Speech | Goalcast

I want you to always have an “underdog mentality” when it comes to life. As DJ Khaled very famously says on Snapchat “THEY DON”T WANT YOU TO WIN” and this is absolutely true. The “they” in this scenario are all the successful people in the world who want to hold you back and do NOT want to give you any piece of their pie. You must fight and claw and never give up. Imagine Steve Jobs didn’t fight and let the “they” of his time win. We wouldn’t have smartphones and apps and everything else that we today take as granted.

Don’t let anything stop you from your goal. True failure isn’t when you miss the mark, but it’s when you give up. You are capable and quitting is only for weak minds.

6. Success Feels Great

There is no better feeling in this world other than knowing that you faced an obstacle and that only through grit and determination you overcame it and became successful.

When you are down and feel like giving up I want you to imagine and visualize the sweet taste of victory. This is different for everyone, maybe this is you crossing the finish line, getting your research published or as ambitious as lifting up an NBA Finals MVP trophy. Point is success feels great and the taste of victory is very sweet.

Let your desire, your craving, your thirst for this sweet taste motivate and inspire you to keep going, to never give up and to keep striving towards your goal.

NEVER GIVE UP - Best Motivational Speech Video (Featuring Coach Pain)

7. It Could Change For The Better

It might be really tough now, but it can all instantly change. If you keep going at it you never know when you will hit a breakthrough. Don’t be like the person who dug a well for 50 meters and then gave up justifying to himself that he was digging a dry well and the person who came right after him dug for only 1 meter and he hit the water.

8. This Is Meant To Happen

Before every success, there is a vision, a dream. Only those people, those dreamers who are brave enough to know who they are and what they truly want are able to become successful. You can’t give up right now because your success is destined to happen, you must believe this mantra like it is a reality today.

You were destined to do this. Nothing can stop you but yourself. So keep going at it and never give up. #BecomeLegendary

9. You Are Strong

You have the strength to do whatever you want and no matter the number of setbacks you face you have the strength to keep going. The only way you can win is if you are first winning in your mind. If you tell yourself and believe that you absolutely cannot run a 50 Kilometer Marathon, I can guarantee you that you will NOT ever be able to run the 50km. Strength comes from within, not from big muscles or from working out in the gym. Only you have the power to stop yourself.

Music to put you in a better mood ~ lofi / relax / stress relief

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. ―Thomas Jefferson

10. It Could Be Worse

The situation could be a lot worse and you should be thankful for being able to face what you are facing because there are people out there who have much bigger problems.

The reality is, your problems, no matter how severe they might seem to you, historically speaking are quite insignificant and mundane compared to problems faced by billions and billions of humans who lived before you. For example, maybe you are working on new business and are burning through thousands of dollars cash every month with no sales and just want to give up. Maybe you are extremely stressed out and feel anxious every night. Sure this is stressful, and I don’t mean to put less emphasis on your problems but compare your problems to another human (who is once again 99.9% just like you) living in poverty, in worn-torn Syria with his wife and 3 children, under constant fear that a drone missile can hit anytime and destroy and kill him and his entire family.

This perspective is important because it helps to grow gratitude in one’s heart and heart that is full of gratitude will never have enough space for fear or anxiety.

11. You Deserve Happiness And Success

Everyone deserves happiness and success, including you. Don’t let these small bumps in the road take away your right.

Think about your journey to success like a long road trip. There is first a beginning that begins at home in your comfort zone. You then make a plan to travel to a destination and map out your entire route; you make a goal. After this, you start your journey and begin your drive. You travel in the rain, sleet, strong winds, and storms. Sometimes it’s dark and cold and sometimes it is hot with a blazing sun. But you keep your eye on the goal and focus on the destination because that is what brings you happiness.

NEVER GIVE UP - Best Motivational Speech Video 

You would NEVER just give up and stop halfway on the journey, would you? Don’t you deserve better than to just be left in the middle of the road trip like a stowaway? Yes, you do. You deserve to reach your destination, you deserve to be happy, you deserve to be successful and you deserve to never give up on yourself.

12. You Must Inspire Others

Who is your biggest role model? Now imagine their life. Doesn’t it seem like they have everything put together and that their life is all in order… Well, this is completely false. The grass really does look greener on the other side and the person you call your role model might be under a very huge amount of stress and anxiety. For example, when NBA All-Star Demar DeRozan opened up about his battle with depression and anxiety, people were shocked! Like how could this 6’7″, 220 Lbs Tower of person, competing at the highest level in the world feel any pain? All of us are human and all of us have our own demons and battles, Demar isn’t any different than me and you.

So when you feel like giving up I want you to remember that someone out there is looking up to you. So sure you might feel weak, you might feel overwhelmed, but when lfie is tough you must keep going because you are teaching those looking up to you how to properly react when they are tested with difficulties in their life. Become an inspiration for others. Refuse to give up and try your hardest; you never know who is watching. Your hard work and dedication could be the spark that was needed to light the dreams of those around you. You never know who is watching.

13. Failure Is Normal

It’s impossible to reach success without first facing failure, so don’t let anything stop you. Failure is a normal process in life. It’s not the end but just a stream changing directions before it finally reaches the ocean.

There is not one successful person alive today who has not tasted failure in their life — think about failure as a necessary ingredient to becoming successful. For example, salt is an essential part of most baked desserts. If you look at it separately you might be like wait WHAT?! why would you put salt in a sweet cake. But if you look at it overall, a small amount of salt will bring out and enhance the other flavors of the cake. So sprinkle some problems and failure into your “Success Cake”, trust me, in the end, it will make it that much sweeter! 🙂

KEEP GOING - Best Motivational Video Speeches Compilation (Most Eye Opening Speeches)

I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. -Michael Jordan

14. Things Can Only Get Better

By sticking to your goal and being persistent things can only get better. If you’ve hit rock bottom or feel you’re on your way down. Remind yourself that with the right amount of hard work what comes down must go up. 

Being in a really dark place in life can actually be a quite positive space to be in. When you are the top of the world and everything is going perfect you will always have fear of losing your success. But when you are in darkness and have hit rock bottom, you should have satisfaction knowing that things can only get better, and with the right mindset, they will! Hard work and determination can get you anywhere in life.

15. It’s Always The Darkest Before Dawn

Understand that the hardest trials are the ones that come right before the breakthrough. So stay persistent because at any given moment you are at the tipping point and success awaits you.

Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer. – Marcia Wieder

Best of Luck!

How do I motivate myself to not give up?

Educate yourself on this! | Stephanie Lyn Coaching

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”

– Newt Gingrich (1943- ), American politician, historian, and author

We’re taught from a young age that “we can do anything that we put our minds to.” But what about when your mind is working against you? How do you keep going then?

Your Reality | Award-winning short film on Gaslighting

We all have days when we want to run away and relax on a tropical beach. But, unless you’re actually going to drop everything and become a travel writer, it’s probably not a realistic escape plan. A better one is to look at how you motivate yourself.

Sometimes it’s really easy to persevere. However, motivation can all too easily slip away. Especially if we fail at something.

Failing is not a bad thing in itself, if you learn from your mistakes. But there’s a difference between trying and learning, and just throwing in the towel as soon as things get tough or scary.

The Science of Perseverance

Don’t blame yourself for sometimes feeling like you want to run and hide – there’s actually a science to it all.

You can be flying through a task, only to get bogged down in the detail. You may find it more difficult and more time-consuming than you anticipated. Or, you might be good at coming up with new ideas but lose interest in the execution. After the first wave of enthusiasm, doubts creep in, and you think, “Am I really up to the task?” or “Am I just lazy?”

Research shows that there’s more to it than this.

DON'T QUIT NOW - Study Motivation

In the Journal of Consumer Psychology, scientists from the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba propose that our motivation changes as we move toward a goal. We’re inspired by hope and positive outcomes at the beginning. But, as we continue, we start to focus on responsibilities and the fear of negative outcomes. And it’s often this fear that halts our progress.

It can become a demoralizing spiral. You leave a trail of unfinished or poorly handled tasks in your wake. And every morning you lie in bed, hitting snooze on your alarm, filled with the doom-laden sense that you’ll never finish or succeed.

We may never know quite how much we could achieve if we tried.

Tips to Boost Your Motivation

Motivation is often the result of an action, rather than the cause of it.

We tend to think that we have to wait for inspiration or energy to hit us, and we get deflated when it doesn’t come. Or, we might think that we’re doing something motivating or proactive when, in fact, we’re not. For example, watching a TED talk may be inspiring, but it’s not the same as taking action.

And action is what we need. Even the smallest efforts to get going create momentum. It might be hard at the beginning, but you know what they say about getting balls rolling, and hard work paying off.

If you ever feel like you’ve hit your wall, take a look at the following tips. They’ll motivate you far quicker than a poster of a kitten and a cheesy quote.

If You're FAILING Repeatedly, You NEED to FIX THIS! | Jordan Peterson | Top 50 Rules

1. Make a List of Goals

Write down your goals and visualize how you will feel when you hit each one. It feels good, right?

Confucius said, “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones,” so start small and focus on high-priority tasks.

But beware of multitasking. Research shows that it takes a lot of mental energy to refocus after you’ve been distracted. Another study suggests that it takes around 23 minutes to regain your concentration when you switch between tasks. The key, then, is to focus on one important goal at a time.

2. Work Out Every Day

The endorphins produced by exercise can help to reduce stress and anxiety, boost mood, and improve your sleep. What’s more, according to a 2015 study, aerobic exercise improves your cognitive functions in a number of ways, including the ability to learn and retain new information. And research published in 2014 shows that exercise also boosts creative thinking.

All of this combined makes you feel good. And it’s far easier to stick to your goals when you feel refreshed, and your body is performing at its peak.

3. Make a Schedule and Stick to It

Staying motivated doesn’t just happen. We have to set our intentions and choose behaviors that will keep us on the right track. They provide a vital structure that will keep us going, regardless of how we’re thinking or feeling on any given day – almost automating the difficult thing we have to do.

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do,” so set dedicated times to work on your goals. Put them in your calendar, and don’t book anything else in for those times.

4. Find Your “Whys”

Why do you want to give up? Is it fear of failure, or of what others will say or think? Boredom? Anger? Depression? Exhaustion?

During the Korean War, medical officers coined the term “give-up-itis” for the total apathy and loss of hope that followed a severe trauma. A person with this condition could literally will themselves to die, with no apparent physical cause. It’s an extreme example, of course, but it shows the powerful role of our minds in staying well, and how important it is to have something to strive for.

Find the value in what you’re doing, to identify why you want to keep going. Is it helping you to reach a larger goal, or benefiting others in some way? You’ll feel more invested and enthusiastic when you can see the benefits and the meaning of a task.

WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE QUITTING - Powerful Motivational Speech

5. Find Some Mentors

It’s great to want to carve your own path. But successful, motivated people know that everyone needs a hand along the way. So, find a mentor, or more than one, and take time regularly to talk about your goals and receive encouragement from someone who’s been in the same boat, and who knows how to steer it.

Open up to colleagues, your boss, friends, and family, too – mentors don’t have to be experts to give you support and offer you a sounding board. Knowing other people have “got your back” will boost your confidence, give you a fresh perspective, and help you to maintain a sense of direction.

6. Stop Comparing Yourself With Other People

Albert Einstein said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” If you don’t believe in your potential, then no one else will, regardless of how good you are. Draw inspiration from those around you, but don’t beat yourself up if you’re not on the same level in certain areas. And don’t be lured by the “greener grass” over the fence. Remember, nobody’s life is perfect!

This can be hard in our social media-dominated world. Often,  we only see the happy highlights from those around us – fancy holidays, “dream” jobs, perfect relationships. But what you see online is only half the story. Everyone is facing their own struggles, and everyone has bad days, just like you.

7. Take Care of Yourself and Think Positively

Our brains release dopamine in anticipation of a reward, and this makes us feel good. So, keep track of your efforts and reward yourself along the way. Fill up on mood-boosting foods, such as fruits and vegetables, dairy, and lean meat. Do things you enjoy, listen to inspiring music, and remind yourself of how far you’ve come.

Surround yourself with positive people who will help you to get in the zone. Should you fail, always look for learning opportunities instead of dwelling on the negatives.

One big “but” – some situations really are bad for you, and in these cases it’s absolutely right to stop or give up. If carrying on is making you ill or truly miserable, then it’s likely not the right path. Changing direction when this happens can be a powerful way to rediscover your “mojo.”

Adele - Chasing Pavements

Key Findings on Never Giving Up

We all have days when we lose motivation, but don’t be too hard on yourself when they happen.

It can be difficult sometimes to judge whether we need to push a bit harder, or are just banging our head against a wall. Check your purpose, your chances of success, whether you really have to do it all yourself, and what you’re going to get out of it. Find the balance between being kind to yourself and being your own boot camp leader!

You don’t have to wait for motivation to hit you. But you do have to work to stay on track – take action, organize your goals, and be diligent with your routine. And be flexible: we often give up on goals because we’re unwilling to compromise our original expectations. Always think about your “whys” and what you’re learning. And when something’s not right, feel free to change direction.

How do you cope when you feel like you can’t keep going? What does this teach you about yourself? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Rihanna - Stay ft. Mikky Ekko

What is the power of not giving up?

If you run a search in Google for the word “motivation”, it generates 82,400,000 results. That’s quite a bit of motivation! However, the one thing that resonates well with me about staying motivated is not giving up. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression countless of times by our peers, family, and friends. As we get older, though, we figure out what the motivation really looks like and what it means to our growth.

Never giving up looks different for everyone. We all have our own bridges to cross that that will never look the same. Never giving up can look like working out to get to your desired weight loss goal, or it can look like working hard at work to obtain that next career advancement. Never giving up could be going back to school to get that degree you always wanted, or it could be never giving up on your marriage when times get hard.

So many motivational quotes inspire us to never give up on being the best possible versions of ourselves. The following quote is one of my favorites:

“Never give up on YOU. This is your life; shape it, or someone else will. Strength shows not only in the ability to hold on, but in the ability to start over when you must. It is never too late to become what you might have been. Keep learning, adapting, and growing. You may not be there yet, but you are closer than you were yesterday.” ~Author Unknown

 

Never giving up is a journey with many possible routes and destinations.

There are 3 main reasons why you should never give up:

1. The strength to succeed is within YOU. – We all have the power to win and to be the best people we can be. Sometimes, that strength can be hidden by obstacles or burdens that we face, but it is never lost.
2. You are an example to others, whether you realize it or not.- When asked about setting an example, Albert Einstein replied, “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means.” You never know the impact you are having on other people when you do not give up. Be the example of what it looks like to chase your dreams, and never, ever give up.
3. By never giving up, you can change the world.- This is a daily decision that you must make in order to impact yourself and those around you. Think of what our world could be if we never gave up on ourselves or each other.

How do I never give up on life?

Never give up!

When you’re pursuing a worthwhile goal it’s almost inevitable that at some point you’ll think one or more of the following:

• “This is harder than I thought it would be.”
• “Why is this taking so long?”
• “I’m getting nowhere with this.”
• “I keep failing at this goal.”
• “I can’t do this. What was I thinking?”

And when you do have one—or more—of these thoughts, it’s very likely that you’ll want to give up. When that happens, come back to this blog post to stop yourself from quitting. Below you’ll find 8 strategies for not giving up.

1. Adopt An “I Won’t Quit” Mindset.

I just finished watching the fourth season of “House of Cards” – an American political drama about a Congressman and his wife who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal of climbing up the political ladder. Now, the protagonists of the show–Frank and Claire Underwood–are definitely not good role models. They’re ruthless, manipulative, self-centered narcissists.

But the one thing that they do have going for them is that they just won’t give up. Even if all the tables are turned against them, they keep going.

Not giving up is a mindset. And it’s a mindset that you can adopt. Fortunately, you don’t need to have a personality disorder—like the Underwoods–to refuse to give up, no matter what. Instead, what you do need is to constantly tell yourself the following:

• I persist when things get tough.
• I will either find a way or make one.
• Every problem has a solution, and I have the perfect ability to find it.
• Every day I gain more knowledge and insight about what works and what doesn’t, which means I’m getting stronger and wiser.
• Setbacks are temporary.
• I will find a way through this.
• Think! What’s the best thing to do now?

Having an “I won’t quit” mindset will make it much easier for you to persist—and refuse to give up—until you achieve your goal.

2. Watch Someone Else Persevere.

We can learn a lot by watching other people. And learning to persevere is no exception.

There are lots of great movies out there which are based on real life stories about people who faced incredible odds and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but who nonetheless refused to quit. And they managed to achieve what they were after.

Sitting down to watch these movies can be helpful when you feel like quitting. Here are three examples of inspirational movies which will allow you to watch someone else persevere (so you can follow suit):

Selena Gomez - The Heart Wants What It Wants (Official Video)

• Rudy – This film is a based-on-fact account of Daniel Eugene “Rudy” Ruettiger, a small town boy who dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame, but was always told he wasn’t good enough (not big enough, smart enough, athletic enough, and so on). Nonetheless, he persevered until he achieved his dream.
• The Pursuit Of Happyness — Inspired by the true story of Chris Gardner, this film is about a single father with a 5-year-old son who rises from homelessness to Wall Street legend.
• Erin Brockovich – This is a biographical film about an unemployed single mother of three who finds work as a legal assistant and manages to bring down a California power company accused of polluting a city’s water supply.

Watching others refuse to give up will strengthen your own resolve to keep going. Tell yourself the following: “They didn’t quit, and neither will I.”

3. Call Someone.

I’m sure you’ve seen TV shows in which someone decides to stop abusing alcohol, so they join AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). One of the things AA does for them is give them a sponsor. If they ever feel like having a drink, they’re supposed to call their sponsor so that their sponsor can talk them out of it.

When you’ve been chasing an important goal for a while, but you haven’t made much progress and you feel like giving up, call someone whom you know will talk you out of quitting. You can think of this person as a “goals sponsor”, if you will. Resist the urge to give up by calling your goals sponsor.

4. Go Back to Your “Why”.

One of the most important steps in setting a goal is to create a list of all the reasons why you want to achieve that goal. In fact, if you discover that you don’t have a strong enough “why” for a particular goal, it’s probably a good idea to discard it. After all, your “why’s” are what will motivate you to continue striving for a goal, even when the going gets tough.

When you feel like quitting, look at your list containing all of the reasons why your goal is so important to you. If need be, add even more reasons why. The greater the quantity of reasons—and the stronger the reasons—that you have to keep going, the more likely it is that you won’t quit.

5. Find a Different “How”.

Refusing to give up doesn’t mean that you should simply keep doing the same thing over and over again. If the approach that you’re currently using isn’t working, try a different approach. Continue in this way until you find a method, technique, or strategy that does work.

Tell yourself the following:

Armin van Buuren vs Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Not Giving Up On Love (Official Music Video)

• “I refuse to give up because I haven’t tried all possible ways.”
• “Wanting to give up is just a sign that a different approach is needed.”

When you want to give up, take out a pen and a piece of paper and start brainstorming different alternatives you can try. Then, choose one of them, and try it!

6. Succeed at Something Else.

Human beings love being rewarded. In fact, we crave it.

When you’ve been working toward the achievement of a goal for a long time, but your efforts haven’t resulted in any rewards—you haven’t made any money, you haven’t achieved anything you can brag about to others, you don’t really feel like you can pat yourself on the back, and so on–you’ll probably be tempted to quit.

One way to stop yourself from quitting is to take a break and go do something else that you know will be rewarded. Here are some examples:

• Write a brilliant blog post that will get you lots of social media shares (bask in the glow of the online attention).
• Increase the length of your runs and complete a 10K (take a selfie as soon as you cross the finish line and send it to all your friends).
• Try a new recipe and have people over for dinner (give yourself kudos every time someone asks for the recipe or wants seconds).
• Drop one pant size in a month and go out and get yourself a great new pair of jeans (smile graciously as people compliment you on how great you look).

Remind yourself of what success feels like. Then, allow that success to sustain you for a while longer while you take another swing at your goal.

7. Use Failure As a Stepping Stone.

In 2008 Hillary Rodham Clinton— then the junior United States Senator from New York– wanted to be president of the United States. She announced her decision to run and campaigned her heart out. However, she didn’t even succeed in getting the Democratic party’s nomination, much less was she elected president.

Even though she failed, she didn’t give up on her goal. Instead, she accepted a position as Secretary of State. After all, being Secretary of State put her one step closer to the White House. It was a stepping stone.

Now, in 2016, she’s running for president once again. And—because of the foreign policy experience she gained as Secretary of State–she’s in a stronger position than she was back in 2008. I don’t know if she’ll win the presidency, but at least she hasn’t given up on her goal of becoming the first female president of the US.

If you fail as you try to achieve your goal, instead of using that failure as an excuse to quit, use it as a stepping stone.

8. Keep Chipping Away.

When you want to quit, push yourself to keep taking consistent action toward the achievement of your goal. Even if you haven’t seen results yet, you never know what may be happening underneath the surface. Look at the following:

• The bamboo plant spends five years just growing its roots. During that time, the grower has nothing more than a small shoot as the only visible aspect of the plant actually being there. Then, after five years, the plant shoots up to 25 meters in a short amount of time.
• You can hammer away at a rock, perhaps a hundred times, without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the next blow it splits.

Just because you can’t see anything yet, although you’ve been working on your goal for awhile, this doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. You may be closer to achieving your dream than you think. Don’t give up, when you could be just moments away from succeeding. Keep chipping away.

Conclusion

Achieving large, hairy goals isn’t easy. Somewhere along the way it’s very likely that you’ll want to quit. But when you feel like quitting, don’t give up. Live your best life by refusing to quit. Start by applying the 8 strategies explained above.