HOW TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE GIVING UP
We have all been at this point before where we had big goals and dreams in our life but, for whatever reason, gave up along the way. Maybe you decided that the pain just wasn´t worth it anymore, and that it would take too much time, effort, and sacrifices to succeed. Maybe the journey took so long that you lost sight of why you started in the first place and eventually quit because you stopped caring about your goal anymore. Or maybe you just hustled so long without seeing any results that you lost the belief in yourself and just gave up.
Whatever it is, we have all given up on our dreams long before we should have. Whether we wanted to lose 20 pounds, spend more time with our families, or improve our performance at work, it is easy to give up when we lose sight of why we started in the first place. When you start dreading every day because you don´t see yourself getting closer to your goals, it is important to find your passion and motivation again to keep going.
After all, every goal worth achieving requires some effort and sacrifices. You can´t expect to run a marathon without any pain. There will always be setbacks, oftentimes way more than you anticipated. But you can´t let that stop you from living your dreams! Every successful person had to go through some struggle to get to where they are now.
Most people think pain is bad. They think that the easier it is, the better. But actually, quite the opposite is true! The harder it is, the better! Think about this: Have you ever grown from an easy task? I bet not! We only grow in the storm, when it´s tough and we have to give it our very best. When you go in the gym to build your muscles, would you just lift easy weights a hundred times? No way! The only way to grow your muscles is by putting some high weights (stress) on them.
The same is true in life. The harder something is, the stronger you will become. Maybe not physically, but mentally. Your mindset grows just like a muscle, so it is great to have some challenges! Embrace the hard times, because they make you stronger (here´s some mental strategies to stay stong while working out)!
When it gets tough and anyone else would understand if you quit, that´s when you have to keep going! When everyone else is giving up, that´s your chance to seperate yourself from the masses. From the people that just kind of want it and aren´t prepared to do whatever it takes. Adversity is your best friend if you learn to use it!
In fact, while writing this post for the first time, my laptop broke down and deleted everything I had written (of course my fault because I forgot to save it). I was mad at first, but then reminded myself of the opportunity to make this even better. Because I had written this post before, I was now able to write an ever better one (or at least I like to think that).
We all get stuck sometimes, but the question is, how do we get out of it? How do we keep going when the odds seem to be stacked against you and all you want to do is quit? Over the years, I have found several techniques that have been very useful to me whenever I was going through tough times.
HERE ARE THE 5 TOP THINGS THAT WILL GET YOU MOTIVATED WHEN ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS QUIT:
1. EMBRACE THE STRUGGLE FOR IT MAKES YOU STRONGER.
As mentioned before, nothing worth having in life comes easy. You will have to go through pain, sacrifices, and struggles if you want to live a great life. While most of us see this fact as a negative thing, decide to embrace the pain for it makes you stronger! By fighting when everyone else would long give up, you not only strengthen your mental muscles, but also separate yourself from the masses of people that don´t want it as bad as you do.
If greatness was easy, everybody would be running marathons and enjoying their lives on a yacht right now. But living your greatness is hard, and that´s makes it so great. Not everyone can do it, so it´s your chance to shine! It´s not always easy, but try to embrace adversity when it comes and use it as an opportunity to grow even more!
2. Find your “why”!
Whenever you are struggling and the pain or sacrifices seem to be overwhelming, it is easy to forget why you started in the first place. Why did you choose that job years ago? What kind of impact did you want to make? Why did you decide to lose 30 pounds? Certainly not just for a number on the scale. If you focus on that, I can tell that your days are numbered. Instead, why not focus on “getting back to your fighting weight”? Why not focus on the effect of losing the weight, the better health, energy, and a longer life so that you can see your gr
andchildren grow up? Would that kind of focus completely change the results you will get? You bet!
Whatever you are doing, ask yourself: Why do I want this? Why do I have to earn 6-figures? Why do I have to improve my relationships? Find a deeper reason to keep going even if you feel like giving up. Whether that is to prove your greatness to the world, make your family proud, or make the world a better place, find your reason to keep going even when all hell is breaking loose. You may have different “why´s” for different goals or the same reason for all of them. The only thing that matters is that you know why you are doing what you are doing and never give up until you succeed!
3. Think of the people you can´t let down!
Whatever you are trying to accomplish in life, there will be people that depend on you, support you, or believe in you. Greatness is about more than just yourself, it affects everyone around you. Living your greatness is not a selfish act, in fact, it is one of the most selfless things you can do. That´s because greatness is about so much more than success and monetary gains. Of course, it includes them. Success and money are great, if you use them for a greater good. But greatness also includes so much more than that. Greatness is about making this world a better place. It´s about living up to your full potential and giving the world your unique talents so that others may be inspired to do the same. It´s about lifting people up and always looking for ways to grow and become better.
With that in mind, do you think that the food you eat or the amount of time you spend gossiping and checking the news has an effect on the people you love? Of course it does! You need energy to be there for your family every day and need to work hard to provide for them. If you don´t do that, you are not just selling yourself short, but also failing the people closest to you.
Whenever I feel tired and want to quit, I think of my family and girlfriend to motivate myself. These are the people that I cannot fail, and so it hurts to even imagine admitting to them that I failed because I didn´t try hard enough. My father taught me that it is okay to lose, as long as you gave it your best effort. When you can look yourself in the mirror and know that you did the best you could, you can be proud of yourself. No matter how often you fail, if you keep pushing and keep working hard, one day you will succeed! Maybe not immediately, but definitely!
So whenever you think of quitting, think of the people that you cannot fail. Whether that is your family, your friends, or your boss, imagine walking up to that person and telling them that you failed because you just “didn´t feel like it anymore.” Think of the pain that would cause you and then go right back to work!
4. How far have you come?
When you are stuck for a long time and don´t seem to make any progress, it is easy to get caught up in thinking that you will never make it and it´s too hard and painful anyways. Whether you are in the middle of a big project at work or training for your first marathon, the process of working on your goals can often be a long and tiring one. If you don´t watch out and give up too easily, you will never achieve anything in life. Greatness is developed only in the storm, when it´s tough and you have to give it your all to keep it all together. When the journey seems too long and difficult, it is easy to get overwhelmed.
Whenever that happens to you, it is important to take a step back and look at how far you have come already. Chances are, you already spend huge amounts of time and effort to achieving your goal. There were probably many obstacles that you have already conquered on your way to the present moment. The problems you are facing right now, difficult as they may be, are probably just another bump in the road. Ask yourself, “Am I willing to sacrifice everything I have done so far for this problem?” Are you willing to let all the hard work and sacrifices go to waste?
5. LOOK IN THE FUTURE!
Sometimes, it can also be helpful to look in the future and ask yourself: Will this matter in an hour from now? A day? A month? A year? Whether it is the small or big challenges in life, they likely won´t even matter in a while. Do you ever remember the guy that cut you off on the highway a week ago? Or do you remember the small setbacks you had at work last year? Chances are, you just forgot about them and moved on.
Whenever you get overwhelmed with a challenge, remind yourself: This too shall pass!
Pain and failure don´t last forever, and tomorrow is a new day. There will be many setbacks on your way to success, but also many great times. Appreciate both of them, for the hard days allow you to grow and enjoy the good ones even more!
Max Weigand writes about self-development, psychology, and habit formation on his blog maxweigand.com. If you are interested in personal development, download his FREE ebook “Secrets 2 Greatness” at http://maxweigand.com/free-ebook/
