never give up

“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop” – Confucius

The enemy waits and listens for your desperation. When you are at the end of your rope and can no longer see or feel what hope looks like, the enemy of your soul pounces on your confidence, shreds your dreams, and casts a dark shadow of doubt over your life.

The enemy does not want you to be successful. It delights in breaking you down to the point you surrender and exclaim things like, “What was I thinking, I can’t do something like that,” or “There is no way I will ever be able to [fill in the blank].”

When you give up, you give in to the temptation to quit, to surrender, to just stop trying.

There are many reasons why you may choose to give up. You either run out of time, money or energy. Or, you just can’t quite see the results of your efforts.

However, when the urge to quit is at its strongest, this is when success is just a very short distance away.

You can be and do anything you choose in life
The enemy turns up the heat and fuels your irritation with cynicism. The enemy, you see, is that self-limiting tape that plays in your head and tells you that you are not are enough, or you are not worthy to have the things you want and deserve.

You feed the enemy when you listen to the tape and refuse to stop it. Maybe it’s just that you don’t know how, or think you are not allowed to play a new tape in your head.

You are allowed.

No matter what you were told or learned as a child, you can be and do anything you choose in life. If you want it bad enough, you will achieve your goals and dreams.

How badly do you want it?
One question though: “How badly do you really want it?”

Do you want it so badly you are willing to make adjustments in your life that may be uncomfortable or inconvenient?

Are you willing to get up earlier or go to bad later in order to work on your dream?

Are you willing to work a second job in order to pay for the education you need to accomplish your goals?

Are you willing to keep rolling that rock up the hill, day after day, until your hands are covered with blisters and your back is screaming in agony, but you know one day you will indeed make it up that hill?

Are you willing to walk through the fear that surrounds your comfort zone and into the growth that lives on the other side?

You can defeat the enemy. You are stronger and smarter. The day you decide to give up on whatever it is you are working so hard to accomplish, will be the day before you achieve it , but you would never know it. The enemy of your soul will win – game over.

You are worthy
Instead, pick yourself up.

Think about how good it will feel when you cross the finishing line. Think not only about how good it will feel to finally accomplish your goal, but think about how good you are going to feel about yourself for finishing.

When you feel like giving up, this is the time to reach down deep into your soul. Shut off the tape that plays the lie you can’t do it. Replace it with a new tape that states the truth – you are a worthy person and the enemy of your soul has been defeated.

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About Alex Blackwell
Alex Blackwell is a father, husband and writer.

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