If You Feel Like Giving Up, That Means You’re Almost There

If you feel like giving up, that’s usually an indicator that you’re strides away from overcoming. In the pinnacle of our distress, we are often tested with riddles and doors with cast iron padlocks for a reason. It usually means that whatever lies on the other side is not only worthy of our efforts but probably in high demand. That’s why the moment you feel you’re on the brink of surrender is the most critical. It’s the point in time when many of your competitors turn around and head home. Few rise to the challenge much like you have already, but even fewer see those challenges through.

To be at one’s wits’ end is where we discover our durability. It’s where we astonish ourselves with all we’re capable of. Quitting prematurely is not how we vouch for our ambitions, though choking on the struggle isn’t how we vouch for them either. Sometimes we need to reroute or take a brief interlude. Sometimes we need to ask for help. But it rarely means we need to forfeit entirely. There’s always a sneaky solution watching us from the shadows of our frustrations. We just can’t always see it.

That’s why interludes are so powerful. They allow us time to reboot and then go back and reassess — to shift our gaze outside of the labyrinth we’re used to seeing. This is how ideas flick the light of realization. And these ideas form bridges from impossible to possible.

It’s a dreadful feeling to look back at the things you could’ve done but didn’t. Of course, sometimes our priorities reshuffle and we liberate the dreams we’ve outgrown in order to chase new ones. But never should we give up on the ones that were made for us. The dreams that were made for us are the ones that swim in our heads past midnight. They’re the ones that tap us on the shoulder like an obnoxious younger sibling until we finally turn around and answer. These are the ones we shouldn’t ignore. These are the ones we should fight for at any cost.

You’re closer than you think you are to that which will make you happy. But don’t be surprised if the best gifts that arrive at your door are the ones you didn’t ask for.

If you ever find yourself dizzy with defeat in the midst of your greatest challenges, rest assured that you’re either one step away from arriving or you’re headed somewhere far better.