‘Give up’

Life can get overwhelming at times, and you will definitely feel that giving up is the best choice. Whether it's struggling with academics, facing rejection for your products, dealing with personal losses, or just being tired from trying too hard without any visible results, it’s easy to think of just quitting.

We often compare ourselves to others and wonder why things are easier for them. But guess what, the very person next to you is also thinking of giving up and quitting on one of their goals. There’s a famous saying, ‘The grass is always greener on the other side.’ If you want to confirm, ask one of your friends or family members whether they have been feeling like giving up on something recently.

Giving up feels easy; no struggle equals no pain. Giving up may help you avoid embarrassment if you're trying to get fit, or it may lead to no financial loss if you're starting a business, or perhaps something else. It’s so easy to give up, the brain and body feel relieved of the unnecessary pressure of trying again… or so you think!

The fact about giving up is that it gives you rest and peace today, but what about tomorrow? A wise person once said, ‘Today is difficult and tomorrow is more difficult. But the day after tomorrow is beautiful. However, most people give up by tomorrow evening.’ Just imagine yourself after you have conquered your fears. Imagine getting straight A’s or establishing a booming business and looking at yourself in the mirror and saying, ‘Yeah, I did it!’ The scenery beyond this line of giving up is waiting to embrace us wholeheartedly and create memories for life. But we all quit and bend our knees before we cross the line!

Wanting to give up is no weakness or sin, but a human instinct. Even the strongest, richest, and calmest people have given up or want to do so in their lives. What matters is learning to recognise these moments, lift yourself and find small ways of pushing forward. As is said, ‘recognising the moment is half the problem solved.’

Now, we say that we should stay strong during such times, but it isn’t about being or acting strong. How can you possibly be strong when you want to give up? Above strength, what matters is consistency. Don’t feel like cycling for 20 minutes, fine. Do it for just 10 minutes, then, but do it. You need to learn how to keep going even when things feel heavy. Everyone has low days, even animals do! Someday, the lion or cheetah might not find any prey at all. But they don’t give up. They came again the next day with a better strategy and never quit. Because quitting ain’t an option!

Giving up promises you freedom, peace, rest, happiness and whatnot, but just for today. When you wake up the next morning, the promises you made to yourself, the to-do list you had written the day before yesterday and the books you had kept on your study table, they all will come back and haunt you till you regret not doing what you had to. Isn’t it better to give it a shot and fail while trying than regret not doing so?

Now people often confuse giving up with taking a rest. Rest is something you do to energise yourself after a hectic day. But giving up? It’s like not even enduring the hectic day and just sitting in one place. Set tiny goals if you can’t do big tasks. Celebrate the tiny progress you make; people don’t even start. And lastly, remember your why. Your why is the big goal that lingers in your head when you try to sleep at night. It’s the thing your soul wants, but your habit of giving up is hindering its fulfilment.

The art of not giving up is something you learn, not that you are born with it. It’s built through practice and small acts of courage every day. Every time you choose to keep going, even when the path feels unclear, you build strength, confidence, and character. Just imagine if Einstein, Newton, Tesla, Faraday, Curie, and other remarkable people had given up when society mocked them, you wouldn’t be reading this article today!

Sometimes, results aren’t immediate. You may not win a medal or make headlines. But the growth is often quiet and powerful. The best thing you want is to believe in yourself, ‘I can do this!’ And when you decide to put in just 1% instead of giving up, you train your mind to trust your ability and keep rising. In fact, you shouldn’t even do the work for the results; you should do it for yourself. Don’t study hard just to pass an inconsequential exam; study to learn something new. Don’t work out to impress your friends, exercise to prevent yourself from obesity and illnesses. Don’t sell a product to earn money, sell it to help others. One year down the line, you would be smiling back at those small moments when you felt like quitting, and you would be glad you didn’t. Even at this moment, just recall the last time you had thought of quitting a year or two ago, and you didn’t give up and ended up succeeding.

So, the next time you feel like giving up, remember that the effort alone is valuable. It shapes your story in ways you might not see right away, but someday, it’ll be the reason you’re proud of who you became. So, go do the task you were going to give up on and make the person in the mirror proud of you!