Be Gracious with Yourself & Others (and don't give up Lady!)

Throughout your life and your current place in your journey there are opportunities for conflict, judgment and misunderstandings. These are also opportunities to practice being gracious with yourself and others. It is inevitable; you will make mistakes and so will others. Sometimes when things don’t go as planned or interpersonal conflicts occur we may feel like giving up on our project, goal, relationship, business, etc.

If you are like me there have been many times when you felt like giving up! Perhaps you decided to give up. I can think of a few times in my life when I gave up on something. I wonder what could have come of those projects or directions had I not given up. Nevertheless, here I am and am happy to be here! If you have given up on something too, don’t beat yourself up about it. Extend some grace to yourself, decide to learn from it and then move on.

Let’s not confuse giving up with an intentional decision to quit or move on from something. These are not the same. This difference seems to have become clearer for me along with more life experiences. When I resigned from my corporate job in 2008 I wasn’t giving up. I made an intentional decision that I needed to move ON in order to move forward. For me, that meant I needed to leave that job and pursue work that would be more satisfying and allow me to make the biggest difference. In fact, for the first time in years I felt a sense of empowerment and peace that I may not have experienced had I stayed for the sake of NOT quitting.

So, don’t give up on a worthy endeavor nor intentionally quit one without at minimum, allowing yourself the chance to be successful.  Alternatively, intentionally move on from anything that is not a worthy endeavor or no longer relevant or effective for you. We have heard that successful people do not quit. I say NOT SO…successful people know if and when to quit, and when to NOT give up.

“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.  ~Harriet Beecher Stowe

If you are feeling like giving up or intentionally moving on take a step back and get some perspective- set aside some alone time to look at the facts and why you feel the way you do. Then gain more perspective by talking with someone you trust and respect. Often a friend, colleague, mentor or coach can offer you perspective that is often difficult to obtain on your own given the emotional involvement you have in your situation.