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Jon Douglas

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How I Stop Myself From Giving Up

I’m struggling today. If you’ve ever struggled to be consistent with something you care about so deeply, you’ll know the feeling.

It’s been over 1024 days since I started to create content online. During these mostly fun, exciting, sometimes frustrating days, I have created some type of content. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year.

Today I Wanted To Give Up

Today however…I’ve been struggling. I don’t feel like creating. I don’t feel like working. I don’t feel like sticking to my routine. Today I don’t feel like I have great ideas. I don’t feel like my writing is great either. And so today I feel like giving up.

But then I am reminded of the power of passion & perseverance (aka grit). Grit alone is the one thing that separates good from great. When things are difficult, those who persevere out perform those who don’t show up. So this is what I do to remind myself when this happens.

Pain is Temporary

The pain that I’m experiencing today is mostly discomfort. It’s transient in the sense that it won’t be here forever. Maybe a day, maybe a week, maybe a month, but not forever. These are the hills I climb when at my lowest, and the valleys I see when I’m flying down the hill.

I’m not going to die from my feelings of wanting to give up. Rather I have to ride through these feelings and acknowledge them for what they are.

Mood is a Suggestion

My mind keeps suggesting that I give up entirely. That all the effort I put into this whole thing is for little or nothing. My mind is playing tricks on me. It’s trying to tell me that there’s an easier path. Sadly I know that the path it’s suggesting is nothing at all.

If I take some time to be a bit mindful of these thoughts as they come into my head, I realize that my mind will also feel a sense of accomplishment if I just get through the day and continue on with my routine. What my brain doesn’t know is that I don’t take these suggestions as directions, I take them as a suggestion instead.

You Won’t Regret It

When I think about the work I’m doing and that it can be hard some days and easier on other days, I sometimes think about the end result. What all happens when I accomplish what I set out to do? What now?

I’ve started to come across the opinion that the practice of doing this work is what the game really is about. It’s not about the other things of material or status. Rather it’s about being able to embody your identity deliberately into your practice.

To this day, every similar day I’ve had where I didn’t want to do anything but ended up doing what I told myself I’d do, I don’t have any regrets that I did it. In fact, I have the opposite feelings for all the days that I did succumb to my brain’s suggestions.

This is Just Life

I talk quite a bit about life and it’s ups and downs. Having days like this is a down. But what about the ups? There’s so many more ups than there are downs, and to take a down to make an up is an even bigger bonus.

Even if there are downs that never turn to ups, I ask myself about being comfortable with the fact that I would not be able to change that and there are days where that’s perfectly fine. This is just life.

Showing Up

So when I feel like giving up, I do my best to show up.

Even if i’m not at my best, I show up.

My job is to simply show up. The rest is history.

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