Whatever you do, PLEASE DON'T QUIT! (Post #47)

I’ve made up my mind that I won’t quit.  I’m going to continue to challenge myself in those two areas, even if I never reach my desired goal in life (Fact: one of the hardest truths I’ve ever typed).

​Fitness and schedules.  
 
Those two menaces are admittedly my proverbial Achilles’s heels.  Naturally, if you’ve been following this blog for a while, I’m assured you knew that already. I’ve battled with creating a habit of exercising and maintaining a productive work routine for some time and I’ll admit that I’ve seen more failure than success.  

​A saner and more rational person would have quit a long time ago.  However, I’m neither of those things (and only now do I register how crazy that sounds). 
 
No, I’m crazy enough to keep trying.  I’ve made up my mind that I won’t quit.  I’m going to continue to challenge myself in those two areas, even if I never reach my desired goal in life (Fact: one of the hardest truths I’ve ever typed). And, I pray you’re just as crazy as I am.  

​I pray you’ll hold on and keep trying to reach the perceived “unreachable” goals in your life.  Why? Because you CAN NEVER ACHIEVE IF YOU QUIT!!  

Take a break.  Cry it out.  Scream and holler.  Whatever you need to do, do it.  Just know that you can’t, and I mean can’t quit.  
 
Why you ask?  Well, here are my 6 reason for why you just CAN’T QUIT!!

• Nothing good has ever come without struggle:  Pick anything.  The civil rights movement, women’s right to vote, the discovery of cures, and even the invention of the cellphone.  All of these are excellent ventures that all came on the back of struggle.  Struggle that must’ve challenged the innovators in these areas, to at least contemplate quitting.  Can you imagine what our society would be if any of these individuals would have quit?  Tough, right?  But we don’t have to worry about that.  After all, they endured even when the challenges were great.

• You could be on the brink of change: This picture speaks volumes.  I think one major reason for why you shouldn’t quit, is that you COULD be on the brink of your desired change.  That is, if you stay at it, you could ACTUALLY BE at the point of mission accomplishment.  Question:  Why would anybody not love that?  Answer: Because I used the word COULD.  Could implies maybe, possibly, or even perhaps.  It is not definitely, absolutely, or undeniably.  Still, remaining committed to a “perhaps” has a far more successful chance than the 0% found when we resign.  
• You owe it to yourself to test your limits and challenge your “preconceived” borders:  Here lies my love/hate relationship with fitness.  Fact:  there is a part of me that wants to be stronger, better, and all that good stuff. However, becoming stronger means you have to rip the muscle and the ripping of the muscle is the part that I hate. BUT, you’ll never get stronger if you never rip the muscle.  And you’ll never rip the muscle, if you don’t push your limit.  The man who bench-pressed 205 lbs. last year, is only able to do 325 lbs. this year because who pushed passed his limit.  Limits are merely limitations that need renovation towards your higher destination.
• Prove to yourself that you can commit:  Finish something, even if you’re not “in-love-with-it.”  There’s something good about completing a thing. Granted, in rare cases, somethings aren’t meant to be completed; however, (for the most part) completion is paramount for success.   If you start things and consistently never finish them, you begin to lose valuable confidence in your ability to achieve. Sometimes the greatest accomplishment, within accomplishment is proving your doubtful self wrong. 
• You could be greater than you ever imagined: It’s called Apple, Samsung, Steph, Jordan, Google, LeBron, and Serena.  All people or entities that probably never imagined they would be this big.  Still, they were all committed to being great.  This desire for great, pushed them when they wanted to quit.  And their refusal to quit have enabled them to be legendary.  You should hold on because you have the POTENTIAL to be this as well. 
• Even if you fail, you’ll still be a better person as a result of your perseverance:  It’s one of my favorite parts of those competitive-singing reality television shows. Watching the contestant who came back, after being denied last year.  They reached what they thought was their pinnacle and instead encountered their demise.  However, they took the loss and used that as a means to keep going.  I love hearing the judges say things like, “we can tell you listened to our advice.” Or, “we can see that you’ve worked on your vocals since last season.”  They prove that even in a loss, you can still be better.  Walk in your loss and remain encouraged.  

 
So, what do you think?  Agree?  Disagree? What did I miss?  What would you add?  Please leave a comment and tell me if or how you’re implementing what was shared. Please know that I’ve prayed for you (the reader) and I know that God is able to bring you through.  Stay focused, never quit, and be blessed.  
 
Imperfectly,

Kevin D. Jones, Sr.

Author and Publisher of Perfectly Imperfect Perfectionist
(@kevindjonessr)
(@imperfection360)