I know most motivational speakers have been telling you never to give up but of late I have just become aware of the power of giving up. I used to think giving up was entirely for losers and the defeated, but later I got to appreciate that the even successful people had given up on a whole lot of things.
Imagine if you hadn’t given up on some things you came across in life. Where would you be? Wouldn’t you be still stuck in that relationship that was going nowhere? Imagine if you hadn’t given up on that bad business partnership. Imagine if you hadn’t said no to that proposal. Imagine if you hadn’t given up on knocking at that closed door.
I was waiting in a queue to get in the other section of the library on campus, then I overheard some guys talking about giving up and naturally being the motivational speaker, I was already defensive in my own thoughts. ‘No, no thou shalt not give up!!!’ I nearly wanted to bust into their conversation but some voice got into my head, ‘Mind your hokoso Tina’. Well, I just had to take a chill pill and listen before I reacted or became defensive in my thoughts. Of course, there is no way I was going to pop in their conversation but there is this natural instinct of thinking along especially when people are discussing in public.
I tried to grasp and comprehend his story but only what I can remember was when he said, “There is power in giving up”. These words stuck with me and I took some days pondering on them and I had to test them for myself but trust me this is so true, ‘There is real power in giving up’. I had to give up on some projects, people, dreams, goals, visions, etc. Believe you me the results have been so awesome. Here is why I think you should also consider giving up:
Saves You Energy
A human being is not a machine that we don’t get tired, weary or hurt yet many a time we busy abusing ourselves by continuing holding on things that are not working. We trying so hard to push ourselves into other people’s lives or projects that are not working. How long shall you continue asking out that girl and she continue saying she can’t or she is still thinking. How long shall you continue winking and blushing at that guy when he is not paying attention or noticing you? How long shall you continue knocking at their door and they continue saying come back next time? How long shall you continue pursuing that career when it is not bringing any returns? How long shall you continue pursuing people who don’t want you? How long shall you continue visiting people who don’t want you to visit them? How long shall you continue tolerating their nonsense? How long shall you continue wasting your energy trying to push something that is not working?
Just save yourself some energy and give up because some things are not just going to work. Give up and move on, grab the next big thing and expend your energy on it. I believe there are also some energy wasters that deserve to be given up on. You have been spending years working on something that is not really rewarding you back and you continue saying, “The speaker said, I should never give up”.
Allows You To Introspect & Refocus
Every time the thought of giving up pops into my mind, I pause a bit too really look at myself and introspect. I look at the man in the mirror and say ask myself if it is really worth continue pursuing or I should just take a break or ultimately quit. I have had to give up on a whole lot of projects because when I really asked myself, ‘Why?’ I got convinced that most of the time, initially I was just pursuing something that was not meant to be. Most of these ideas were just borrowed or came from just peeping at other people. You hear that people are making big bucks selling some clothes, shoes or farming then the next few days I’m trying to join them too but guess what as always, I had to give up. I saw that I was just pursuing something that was not really mine. I had just copied something or someone’s goals then I was pasting them as mine but trust it never worked out.
As I look around I see a whole lot of us just wasting their energy on some things that are really not meant to be. God might be saying, ‘You busy doing something that I didn’t ok’. As we go on our sojourn in life and pursuing our dreams, it will be of great help if we would only expend our energy on something that is really ours. Dreams and aspirations that God has spoken to us and I believe we will succeed and even as the thought of giving up comes into your mind and as you introspect you become aware if it’s really worth your effort?
After introspecting, we now need to refocus on what God called us to be or to work on. Sometimes we busy pursuing a career when God called us to be his minister. We might be busy begging and sending CVs when God called us to be the employers and likewise we might be busy going about starting projects and companies when God called us to be great employees. How do we then get to pursue that which is ours? The trick lies in refocusing on what is important and as the Apostle Paul said,
“ “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is edifying. ”.
1 Corinthians 10 vs 23
Life is not a dress rehearsal that we should waste it trying to work on everything that comes our way but we should only do that which is necessary and that which is necessary to our calling and purpose.
Turn Back & Move On
Maybe you have hit a wall, then why continue pushing instead of turning back and move on to the next. Many a time when we hit a wall we would be deviating from our main goals and vision. In the end, we get caught up in the whirlwind of pursuing everything that comes our way.
You hear that forex trading is transforming other people’s lives and you already dumping your poultry project then after that, you hear that crowdfunding and network marketing is bringing millions of passive income and next you want to join them and subsequently dropping your newly found forex baby. I tell you there is no sure way of constantly hitting brick walls and having tones of failed projects and dreams. 2022 stop being a wanderer and start settling and focusing on building on one or rather a few things.
Don’t Get Me Wrong
Never give up on praying and your God, rather continue growing day by day in Him. Keep on praying. Then on other things, I don’t mean you should just give up like that, rather know when and how to give up. It might mean withdrawing your efforts a bit or for good. Instead of continuing hitting with the same strategy rather drawback and re-strategies later or just call it quits. If you hadn’t given up on many things previously maybe you could not have been here.