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All of us face adversities and, to a certain extent, have challenges that we need to overcome in our lives. Unless you are the luckiest person in the world, you can never go through life without obstacles. Every person has their own baggage that makes them unique as they go through the stages of life.
However, sometimes, it seems easy to let go of all our difficulties and avoid or run away from them. However, they always seem to be a light in the darkness, a glimmer of hope that inspires us and reminds us of the power of never giving up.
What Does Never Giving Up Truly Mean?
Many faith-based books on overcoming challenges have emerged, inspiring us to take a leap and never give up. But what does it truly mean?
Never giving up does not mean that we will go through life easily or that everything will go our way perfectly. However, it means staying strong even in the face of difficulties or failure. Never giving up means continuing to strive for our goals despite experiencing failure.
Failure is inevitable; however, the attitude towards doing things should never change, which is the true heart of never giving up. It means continuing to stand strong despite knowing that there is a possibility of failure and never being scared to tip or tool into new things. Somehow, in never giving up, we realize that the true form of failure is never trying at all.
Never Giving Up: Where Do We Get the Motivation?
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Ground Yourself
Know what grounds you. Is it your family? The values you want to uphold? Sometimes, understanding why you are doing something makes you want to continue. Many people assume that the reasons why we do things have to be very deep and meaningful—working hard to provide for our families or rallying to bring to light issues like discrimination and inequality.
People often argue that the things that ground you are not necessarily what is important, but the fact that you have something to look forward to is more important. Something as simple as studying hard to get a high grade just for the glory or title is already good enough. However, the value of the things that ground you make a difference. Studying hard to get a high grade is more motivating and stressful if your scholarship and the future of your education are at stake.
However, we should remember where we get the motivation. At the root of it all, remember that though it seems like we are alone, there is always someone guiding you and rooting for you every step of the way. Our Lord works in mysterious ways, and though we may not always fully grasp why we get tested or break down, know that He has a greater plan for you. Ground yourself in the belief that everything is for His greater glory.
Acknowledge Flaws
As humans, we always have limitations. Acknowledging these limitations is key to understanding ourselves and helping us achieve certain things. We often fail when we overestimate our capabilities or stretch ourselves too thin.
Admitting that something was wrong with our time management or delegation will help us understand why we failed and recognize that our humanness caused these mistakes. Whether it is because of our forgetfulness or overworking, there is always a reason why we fail. Acknowledging our flaws and mistakes that made us fail gives us the courage to try something again.
Know Your Endgame
Setting goals is crucial because it motivates you to work toward a goal and reminds you of never giving up. However, when choosing an “endgame,” it is important to be as specific as possible. Make it SMART—specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. This ensures that you can achieve your goal and lessens your frustration when you fail to achieve it and are unsure.
Say, for example, you set a goal; it cannot be something as vague as, “I want to be happy.” You should be specific and make the goal more measurable. Reflecting on yourself, what makes you happy? Then, make a goal out of it.
Let’s say that in this example, your goal is to get married and start a family with 2 kids. Though it is specific and measurable, it does not give a specific time period. Remember that goals should be achievable and realistic when setting a particular time. You can’t say that you want to have a spouse and 2 children in the span of a year considering you are not yet dating anyone. It needs to be realistic. For example, say that you want that goal to be achieved in 5 years. Then, you can make a step-by-step plan of how to get to that goal – get into a relationship in a year, propose by the second year, get married by the third year, and so on.
Of course, not all goals mimic this. However, when you follow this pattern and create a by-step plan for achieving your primary goal, you are more inclined to never give up because you can picture your end game and what you want to achieve or strive towards.
Listen to Stories of Never Giving Up
Challenges do not have to make or break us. Though facing failure is inevitable, we always have a choice – to drop everything or continue pushing through despite the adversities. However, to motivate us, learning from the mistakes of others or how they were able to overcome something shows that we are not alone in this journey called life. Mistakes are alright, and we might even new methods to help us cope. To learn more through the experiences of others, read books like Let Faith Grow: Running Through Adversity to get inspired and learn through the experiences of others.
