Quitters never win

Ever wanted to just give up? We all have. It might be a job that you hate. Maybe it's a relationship that you are either bored with or just don't have the strength to endure anymore. It could be a diet or an exercise program.

Either way, you've been there. 

I've been dealing with "burn-out" lately in my own life. I've been praying like crazy that God would either grant me the serenity to patiently undergo my current plight...or get me the heck up out of Dodge!

Today, neither seems to be an option. I don't have anything else to run to. My patience is limited and quickly expiring. 

Maybe that's how God wants it.

Sometimes there's no escape. Sometimes there's no comfort either. I know that sounds dark, but I don't mean for it to be. Sometimes we just have to learn to suck it up, go through it without any help and finish strong.

If you're down in the dumps and ready to call it a day, here's something that may be useful. The following is a checklist that I stole borrowed from a website called boxingscene.com. As silly as it may sound, it's a website for boxers, mainly amateur. The checklist is meant to be motivational for boxers who are thinking of quitting.

You may not be stepping into an actual ring any time soon, but I believe it is relevant, nonetheless. Without further ado:

1. Remember the reason(s) you started in the first place.  What was the "spark" that caused you to begin the journey?  Revisiting that may help rekindle the flame that helps you go on.

2. Ask yourself, "What would I rather be doing?"  If nothing compelling comes to mind, then determine the next step you need to take to move you closer to your original destination.  If something more compelling does come to mind, maybe you need to quit.

3. List 10 reasons why you CAN keep going.  What strengths and resources do you possess that will help you achieve your desired outcome?  Just the very act of doing this shifts your focus from the problem to the solution. 

4. Give yourself permission to quit.  Sounds crazy, but it works.  When you set up an internal law that says, "I can't quit." Or "I shouldn't quit", it makes the desire to quit even stronger. 

5. Give yourself a need to continue.  Rather than focus on why you feel you need to quit, focus on why you need to continue.  What's the payoff, the reward waiting for you if you persevere?

6. Stop focusing on the struggle and start focusing on the solution.  Whatever you focus on expands.  If your focus is on the struggle you are experiencing, that becomes the biggest (and maybe even the ONLY) thing on your "horizon" It blocks out many, if not all, of the creative opportunities and solutions that may be trying to present themselves to you.

7. Take a hard look at your methodology.  Tired of getting poor or less than optimum results from your efforts?  Then why keep doing things the same way an expecting something different to happen?  That's the classic definition of insanity!  Ask yourself, "What's the most radical or unorthodox action I could take right now?"  Try it.

8. Make a contract with yourself.  Write out what you intend to accomplish and how you intend to accomplish it and then give yourself, say, six months to achieve your goal.  Sign and date it and keep it where you can see it.  You might even impose some kind of "penalty" for breaking the contract - no chocolate for a month, maybe.

9. Get real.  Were you enticed by the "illusion" that success is easy?  Maybe you were enamored by the "fluff" that if you just want something badly enough, it will find its way to your doorstep.  Success is WORK.  Pure and simple.  It is the result of a certain mindset as well as a set of deliberate actions.  If you want to quit something, then quit fooling yourself by thinking it's going to be a "piece of cake".

10. Walk away.  Sometimes looking at something too hard or long obscures the solutions.  It's the "can't see the forest for the trees" phenomenon.  By simply walking away or taking a break from the struggle to solve, you often free your mind to see new options and opportunities.