Never, ever, EVER give up

I keep seeing those images and quotes on feel-good social media sites about never, ever, ever giving up. You know the ones. The words are either illustrated or paired with a picture of a woman running. 

Some go on to say that the moment you feel you want to give up or quit is the moment just before the miracle occurs. 

I actually love these little titbits and sayings, and I often live by these kinds of punchy, directional statements. But we all know they alone are not enough to keep us motivated in the long run. As a recent experience showed me, we need a bigger reason to keep our tenacity fired up. 

Last year I entered a running and surf-swimming race called the 3 Points Challenge. I am a runner but I am not a swimmer, and the training I’d done beforehand did not see me in the ocean more than it did the pool so I was feeling unprepared. Turns out, ocean swimming is vastly different to pool swimming! 

The first leg was a 500m swim and half way in, I just didn’t think I could go on anymore. The next wave of people were overtaking me, the swell was ENORMOUS (or perhaps that was just my perception) and my freestyle had turned into a combination of backstroke, breaststroke and even a bit of sidestroke. I was tired, so tired. 

But then I remembered my aim. This was an interim meet, preparing me for bigger and better challenges in terms of fitness. This was something I entered quite last minute to experience as a stepping-stone to further competitions. It was one rung on the ladder. 

Want more articles like this? Check out the work motivation section.

Something else that helped: I swam so far off the circle that I ended up near a volunteer official who encouraged me in a big way. I remember saying, “I just don’t seem to be moving.” And she said, “You’re moving, trust me, you’re moving. And you don’t have much further to go. Just change your course a little.” 

So I dug in and kept going. And I got to the sand. And then I got to my shoes. And then I started running. 

The experience taught me some techniques for staying motivated when it all feels too much. If you’re close to giving up: 

• Remember the reason why you started. What’s your vision? 

• Remember to focus on taking just ‘one more step’ instead of picturing the whole, possibly overwhelming challenge. 

• Ask for someone else’s perspective – they may just offer you a shining light or the encouragement you need. 

• Change your course just a little – it may just be that you need to adjust something so it’s not so hard. 

Being reminded by a quote to “never give up” can help spark your motivation, but regaining that bigger-picture tenacity depends on your thoughts and actions in the moment – just before the miracle occurs. 

What has helped you get through those times of wanting to give up?