Sometimes it can be so easy to just give up. But I’m here to say, in all caps and with an exclamation point, “DON’T GIVE UP!” It’s so important for our mindset to continue moving forward with our goals.
When we give up on ourselves, we lose confidence and our own self-trust. I mean, if you can’t count on yourself, then who can you count on? Of course, I know, there are people we can count on, but you get the point.
Only we know our deepest darkest secrets, and fears for that matter. It’s those fears that make it so easy to give up on things. Well, starting now, we’re going to kick those fears to the curb and make our mantra: don’t give up.
How to Identify If You’re Giving Up on Yourself?
This seems like it may be a silly question, but rightfully, we should ask ourselves it. Oftentimes, we hide behind excuses, fear, and even imposter syndrome for so long that we don’t recognize that we’re actually giving up on ourselves.
It starts to seem normal that we’re scared and putting off a goal we set for ourselves. We justify it in our mind and come to terms with a reasoning that we create to ease our failure. When you do this you don’t categorize it as giving up on yourself.
So, when you start making excuses for yourself, identify it. Or when you’re allowing imposter syndrome to rule your goal setting and achievements, recognize it and commit to yourself.
It took me a long time to realize that I would pack my to-do list with other things to avoid the one thing I really needed to do in order to reach a goal I set. Instead, I did mundane things to just distract myself and fill my time.
Instead of developing my website, I would do laundry. When the laundry was done I would bake. And when I had warm cookies on the counter, I would go to clean the bathrooms. And that’s when I realized what I was doing.
I strongly dislike cleaning bathrooms. So when I was on my second round of cleaning them in less than a week I knew something was up. And after some time thinking about it I had to call myself out on just what I was doing – giving up. That’s when I decided to continue to repeat to myself ‘don’t give up’. And it changed my life.
What Happens When We Don’t Give Up on Ourselves
When we stop quitting, or slowly giving up on ourselves, we start to trust ourselves. You rely on yourself to complete difficult things, face challenges, and continue to move forward to meet goals you’re passionate about.
You figure out that you can step out of your comfort zone and be okay. That you actually might thrive when you’re scared. And that you get much better at handling those emotions of fear.
There is a process that I have found my mind goes through as I push past my fear or imposter syndrome. At first I get stuck in those emotions, and every time I do I have to recognize it. It doesn’t take nearly as long as it used to.
Once I recognize that I’m stuck due to fear, then I analyze why I’m scared to do something. That is sometimes all it takes. When I identify the reason behind the fear I can laugh it off and move on, continuing on my path of achieving my goal.
It’s when I identify the source and still have fear that I have to take time to set my mindset, practice mindfulness, and give myself time to realize that the outcome of my goal is more important than my fear. And that as soon as I push past what is holding me back I will be better for it.
When I allow myself the time to sit with my emotions, understand myself, and consider my options, I then stop putting my action items off with a silly to-do list.
I now know that if I’m finding things to clean, I am in fact hiding from something.
The Confidence That Comes With Reaching A Goal Because You Told Yourself, “Don’t Give Up”
Once you complete whatever it is you’re fearful of and the weight of it is lifted, you’ll find that you feel powerful. When you feel that sense of accomplishment that comes from reaching a goal, you’ll want to feel it again.
So, naturally, the next time you sense that fear growing inside, you’ll be eager to overcome it to experience the exhilaration of achieving something you felt was impossible. And you’ll take the steps to get past your fear.
Slowly, you’ll become more confident in yourself over time as you continue to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. And as that confidence increases, you’ll become more open to trying different things and reaching further and further as you set goals.
Soon you will find that you no longer have to say to yourself, “don’t give up”. You’ll have trained the quit out of you. And you’ll realize that you were never quitting on yourself, you just weren’t facing your fears.
What fear are you going to face today? Share in the comments below!
Here are some additional links to help you as you overcome your fears and work towards your goals:
Mindset Versus Mindfulness: Understanding Both as You Focus on Inner Happiness
5 Simple & Easy Ways to Get Unstuck in Life