If you listen to entrepreneurs, managers of successful companies or thought leaders, most likely they will point out perseverance as one of the keys to success. Don’t give up, luck might be just a few steps away.
Images such as the one above cross our minds and the quest grows inside of us bring all sort of “what if’s”.
What if I’m close to success, what if I’ve been working so hard on this and it leads nowhere? What if I keep on going? What if I give up? Confusion takes over and it’s hard to find the best turn ahead when a few options seem to lead to different paths.
Giving up is not only about one project, task or job you’re doing. You feel like you’re giving up on you. Feel like you fail to people involved or aware of your journey. You don’t want to be seen as a failure. As someone who gives up. You want to keep your image of determination, courage, bravery, persistence.
I always finish what I commit to. This was a slogan in my CV or motivation letter quite some years ago. I don’t want to push any gallons and pretend I’m much smarter now. No. I just know what I knew at that time, plus all the learning and experiences I had along the way. It doesn’t makes me smarter. Eventually it makes me less stupid, and that’s one of the rewards of the aging process. It’s not that we forcibly gain in intelligence, but we lose in stupidity or ingenuousness.
By stating that, I wanted to show determination and that crucial attribute in life of not giving up.
Based on that foundation I kept insisting on a business model I had at the time and ultimately I lost the business. Luckily didn’t lost my family, but normally that’s a collateral damage. So why do we have to be so stubborn believing maxims or pride will save our faces? Or success will show up sooner or later (or much later)?
Keep going, never give up, people give up when they’re so close to target. If we give up we don’t have what it takes, we feel a failure and we carry that burden in our shoulders (conscience) all our life.
This applies to business, projects, roles, investments but also in our private lives in all sort of domains and decisions we take about our family, circle our relations.
We don’t have to give up. We might chose to let go. Letting go means no regrets or second thoughts on our decision.
Letting go means no attachment to expected outcomes.
Letting go means awareness, sense of reality, facing brutal facts with sense of responsibility and vision.
Letting go won’t harm you and won’t leave the scare on your memory.
Letting go means adjustment of your course and not dropping your arms and turning your back. Letting go means clarity ahead. Adjusting as per facts, reality or circumstances. Letting go stubbornness to pick the right pad.
So next time, don’t be afraid to look at the problem straight and ask yourself what risks and rewards are truly at your reach. Adjust course, change routes if needed, adopt different systems or methods, involve people, get support. Don’t hold yourself accountable to follow a plan if you realize the plan doesn’t lead to the expected result. Change the plan, change the execution. Ultimately, leave it, not by giving up but by letting go.
You’ll still respected and admired by your decision, as nothing is written in stone and plans are just that, plans. One of the best qualities of a man isn’t to be stubborn, but to be flexible and accepting in his general attitude. That worry with the weight of a man’s word doesn’t apply here, but his capacity to acknowledge he’s plan or assumption was wrong and he needs to correct trajectory to avoid damages instead the so much expected success. And that is, ultimately your success.