The Moment You Feel Like Quitting

“’Cause sometimes you feel tired,

feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up.

But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength

and just pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up

and not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse.” ~Eminem (from the song Till I Collapse)

The difference between the average person and the successful one is how they react in the moment they feel like quitting. The average person will quit as soon as they feel like it, but a nearly universal trait among successful people is their ability to push through this discomfort.

Yesterday I was practicing my public speaking and seeing how long I could talk off the cuff for. For the first dozen or so attempts I plateaued at about a minute. I was tired and my apparent inability to talk longer than that really discouraged me.

My motivation was nonexistent and at the time focusing on anything for longer than three seconds seemed impossible. I wanted to quit more than anything else. But I didn’t.

I knew that although I showed up, I hadn’t fully exhausted myself so I made the commitment to take one more recording. I hadn’t expected much after the previous dozen plateaued at about a minute each, but on my final attempt I manage to talk for eleven minutes straight.

I can’t tell you why things seem to happen this day, but I’ve found that in the moments I feel the least motivated, I’m often able to get the best results if I’m willing to show up.

Of course, telling you not to quit is easy. Actually refusing to do so is much more difficult so here’s some things to keep in my mind when you feel like giving up.

What You Have To Lose. If you’re running to get in shape think about all the things you’d be missing out on if you quit. Imagine gaining weight, feeling unhealthy, and not being able to look at yourself in mirror.

What You Have To Gain. If you’re writing a blog article and you feel like quitting resist the temptation to do so. If you’re able to finish the article you’ll feel more confident for pushing yourself past your limits, add another article to your archive, and likely help many people in the process.

Your Past. Think about how you felt the last time you gave up on yourself. You probably felt pretty low. Now imagine the last time you got out of your comfort zone and pushed yourself past your limits. You probably felt awesome right? Now decide which way you plan to feel next.

If you still lack motivation after doing those three things then stop thinking about not wanting to do “x” and just do it. If you think about it too long you’ll make justifications in your head about why it’s not that important, and why you don’t need to do it.

Above all, remember that refusing to quit the moment you feel like it will be the difference between success and mediocrity.

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