When You Feel Like Giving Up

Do you ever feel like giving up when things are getting too hard?

Most people do at some time in their life.

How do you get over those feelings when you feel like giving up?

I had my own experience of feeling like giving up, just a few months before my first book Stress to Joy got published and became a best seller. My coach had helped me that day with an exercise that helped me through it. I am sharing it with you today so you might benefit from it too, in case you are going through similar feelings.

Before I share what that exercise is, let me share a brief story about why persevering is so important.

A few weeks back, I got an email from a professor at the University of Washington. It informed me that my book Stress to Joy was added to a graduate program course.

OMG! My book – a university reading recommendation – that is a bigger honor for me than even becoming a bestseller.

I got tears in my eyes because it was only a few months back that I was ready to give up.

You see, I had been working on this book project for almost ten years. With my other responsibilities, it was getting delayed again and again.

I had schooling to become a medical doctor, not an author. Medical professionals usually tend to write shorthand for medical notation, and it was hard for me to write for the book. I had to go through revision after revision, which made me feel that I was not good enough.

I had gone through many stressors during that time. A few months before the final publishing, I had to go through yet another significantly stressful event. A government agency had penalized my business for $35,000 in error.

Although they removed the penalty later, it was extremely stressful while it lasted.

As you may know, when you are stressed, everything feels even more difficult. The stress I was feeling was making it more difficult for me to complete the book. I was getting emotional and felt like I did not have what it took to get it published. Giving up felt like the easiest thing to do.

I am so grateful for my coaches, Ben Patwa and Derek Doepker, who helped me through that difficult time.

I vividly remember that day when I had a video coaching call. Tearfully, I told my coaches, “I am holding by a thin thread. I feel like giving up.”

So they took me through a visualization exercise.

Visualization is a powerful technique. When you try to see in your brain’s eye a vision of something you want, you see it as if it has already happened.

My coach had seen a painting in our house done by my husband. It has a staircase arising from the tip of a pen, leading to a door on the top. He asked me to visualize taking those steps leading to that door and then asked me what I saw on the other side of the door when I finally reach it.

I told him that I saw and heard people saying thank you for making a difference in their lives. My spiritual leader, my family, and my friends were all smiling with pride on their faces.

That visualization was the turning point for me. It reminded me of my purpose. When I realized that my purpose was bigger than my problems, it gave me the courage to overcome the feeling of wanting to give up.

I am so happy and grateful that I did. Because if I would have given up at that time,

• The book would not have been published.
• It would not have become a number one bestseller on Amazon.
• It would not have become a reading recommendation at a University.
• I would not have been invited to give interviews and keynote speeches.

Because of the book, I get the opportunity to share the message with health care professionals and a wide variety of other people.  

When these people share what they learn with people they come in contact with, the ripple effect will help so many more. 

It all brings me closer and closer to my mission of helping more than a million people become healthier and happier.

All this would not have been possible if I had given up when it was hard. So if you ever feel like giving up, remind yourself of your purpose.

If your purpose is more significant than your problems, you will be able to overcome the obstacles.

Next time you feel that your project is too hard, you can ask these questions:

• “Why do I want to complete that project in the first place? What is my purpose?”
• “What will it feel like when I finally achieve my purpose?” Give advance gratitude for achieving your goal and visualize it as if you have achieved it.
• “If one path to my purpose is hard, are there detours I can take to your destination?”

Make a choice and start taking action, no matter how small.

I hope this technique helps. To empower yourself with more techniques like this, you can sign up for weekly Stress Management And Resilience Training tools.  As a bonus, you will also get an instant download of “Relaxation exercise for busy people.” for just signing up

Please share this resource to help people you care about and add to the ripple effect. And as always, I love to hear your feedback. Let me know what you found most useful and if you have any questions.