When You Feel Like Quitting- Inspired by Perseverance

To Give Up or Not to Give Up-That is the Question… 

 

Today’s post was supposed to be a different topic.  I spent several hours on a cute graphic art project that I couldn’t wait to share with you, but when I went to save it tonight my computer said that an error occurred and it deleted the whole project!!  How heartbreaking to have wasted all that time, knowing even if I redo it, I won’t be able to draw it exactly the same.

 

Do you know what thoughts went through my head?  (after lots of Oh No’s, gasping and sighing) – “I lost all of that work that I had worked so hard to perfect!  I should just quit!  I will never be able to recreate my vision in the same way!  Now what will I do for tomorrow’s post?  I should just forget about posting for a few days.   This is too annoying.  I think I should just give up for this week.”

 

Those are the kind of stressed out, negative thoughts I had after seeing all of my work disappear before my eyes.  After sitting here stunned for awhile, I started to ask myself if I really wanted to quit.  I started thinking about how much fun I had doing the project, how cute it was, how much it made me smile, and how much I thought it may make you all smile.  I came to the conclusion that while I was feeling frustrated in this moment, I did not want to give up this project for good.

 

 

That got me thinking about Perseverance and all of the other times I have been so disappointed and wanted to quit something.  I can recall my first time knitting a poncho and how after numerous hours of working on it, it came out awful and didn’t fit right.  I was so disappointed, but yet I chose not to give up.  I ripped it all out (determined not to waste all that yarn for one!) and started over again, making adjustments this time to get it right.  I was rewarded for my perseverance and ended up with a nice poncho that I still wear today.

 

 

There have been countless other things too – Like the time I was trying to advance my home based business, and after only needing one more customer to FINALLY reach my first big milestone, everyone except 1 person decided to quit in the same week.  I nearly gave up then also, but had a change of heart, started all over, and  did reach my goal soon after.   In fact , do you know the name of the very next person who came along after almost quitting?  Hope!  haha.  Who was followed by Faith, and then Destiny.  No joke!

Not giving up that time was SO worth it, as I ended up being more successful than I had originally thought possible and reaching many other goals after that , that not only changed my life (in more ways than one) , but was blessed to help other people along the way.

 

How about last summer when my fiance and I lost a house we had put a bid on to another couple (after 5 weeks of waiting – with me stuck in bed all summer with an injured foot and sciatic pain to boot!) ,  Or even this website and blog!  I had no clue how to use WordPress to make this site (being the complete beginner that I am) and could not figure out how to get my creative vision to come to life.  I almost threw in the towel then too, and thought  “Maybe I should just quit and go with a free blog platform and pick some easy template and forget about my “vision” of what I think it should look like.  Or maybe I bit off more than I can chew and should just give up this dream of mine all together!”

 

 

I got to thinking about all of these things, and how each time, as a result of not giving up, I ended up realizing my goal or dream.  For all the frustration I endured, the Perseverance Paid off.   There is a quote I like from Norman Vincent Peale :  “It’s Always Too Early to Quit” .

 

 

How true.  Had I quit my home based business too early, I would have missed out on so many blessings.  My life would be so different that I don’t even like to think about it haha.  For one thing, I wouldn’t have met a best friend of mine!  In fact I would have missed out on many friendships, and probably wouldn’t be as computer savvy, which means I prob. would have never had this blog.  Had I quit my blog vision too early, I may have a boring site that didn’t reflect who I am and what my true vision for this is.  Etc. Etc….

 

 

There are so many times I have experienced major disappointments and wanted to give up right then and there.   Usually though, there is a small voice in there somewhere that whispers ” try it again”.  Sometimes I do try again- right away.  Sometimes I give myself a break and get back on the horse when I feel ready.  Sometimes in my personal life, when it all gets too exhausting and I seemingly quit, I haven’t really given up.  I just redirect my focus to things that are more within my grasp for the time being before I begin again.  This helps me tackle things with a fresh perspective.

 

There have been very few occasions where I do give up for good.  Relationships that you know are not healthy for you for example, or maybe you have tried to make a go of something for years, and you realize it’s time to change directions.  I think in some cases quitting can be necessary for personal growth or well being.   That is why many times I evaluate things and decide if it is really in my best interest to keep going.  There is a difference between giving up on something because it’s just “too hard” or frustrating (yet you know it would be rewarding for you later), or giving up because it is truly time.

 

 

I hope my unfortunate event of today has helped to inspire some of you to not throw in the towel just yet on something you feel like quitting on.  If there is one thing that perseverance has taught me, it is that I could have nearly missed out on some very great things , not knowing that the very next day , or the very next time I tried, would have been THE time I succeeded or received a blessing.  

 

I don’t know when I will redo the cute picture I was making for a cool little blog post I want to do, but at some point in the near future I will be sharing it with you, as I have decided it is worth it!

 

I will end this with 2 thought provoking questions :

1.  What things have you recently felt like quitting or have been frustrated with?

2.  What are some of the things you have in your life that you would not have now, had you given up?

 

I would love to hear your thoughts too 🙂

 

By the way-this post is also linked up at : http://www.deniseinbloom.com/how-to-make-a-vintage-inspired-chalkboard/