Friday, January 4, 2013

Don't Give Up....

In the first week of January the post-Christmas sales are still going strong, decorations are slowly being stashed away to wait for next year, and leftovers are quickly being consumed (um, by me, of course). And usually by then, if not before, resolutions are made.

And with those leftovers come resolutions of better diet and exercise habits. And with those post-Christmas sales come resolutions of spending less money. Resolution upon resolution, goals upon goals are made, and this is good; doing so works for many, especially me. I have my own resolutions and goals I make every year, and I often keep them – um, maybe not all of them all the time, but heck, no one’s perfect, right? But I work towards fulfilling, keeping and maintaining them, and usually, in some form or another, I do.

But this past year I realized three words that could be the underlying theme to any goal or resolution: Don’t Give Up.

Those three words could be a resolution in itself.

I had an ‘interesting’ year with health and other personal issues. Resolutions and goals I set at the beginning of the year were constantly challenged. I had personal development goals, as well as professional goals to do with both my day job and my writing career. Various events threatened to trip me up, challenging me to give in and give up. But I had put these goals down on paper, and doing so solidified them. Posting little inspirational reminder notes around my bathroom mirror served as a daily reminder and urged me to keep going.

Some days were easier than others. To keep going, to keep working towards what I wanted was not always easy. Life challenges, being tired and cranky, or sheer laziness or procrastination was sometimes a threat, but I kept telling myself ‘If I want it bad enough, I’ll do it.’

And it’s true. If you want something bad enough, you’ll do it, and you won’t give up. Push yourself to see how far you can go - you never know unless you start.

Don’t give up on losing five pounds. And when you DO lose those five, go for two more. You know you can do it. Don’t give up.

Don’t give up on saving money for the trip to Hawaii. You WILL get there – one penny at a time.

Don’t give up on finishing that novel; one word a time, one page a time.

Don’t give up on getting it published. If you want it bad enough you’ll listen to criticism with an open and professional mind, and use it to make your book better and therefore, hopefully, saleable. Look at all those who published before you - they didn't give up.

Don’t give up on maintaining and keeping relationships with loved ones. They’re only here once.

Don’t give up on you - make yourself proud.

Don’t give up on training your pet guinea pig to ‘go’ in the litter box; one paw at a time, one piddle at a time. You’ll both get there with patience, love and determination.


So when you make your resolutions and goals for the year and write them down, at the top and bottom of the list be sure to put ‘Don’t Give Up.’ And you won’t.







6 comments:

  1. Sometimes we just make things too complicated. Thanks for the reminder - Don't Give Up is so simple and makes me think of what's important and how it's attainable. Happy New Year!

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    1. Those three little words 'don't give up' are so easy to keep saying, and you will never know what you are capable of unless you keep saying them to yourself! Keep it simple and don't give up! Thanks for reading, Ryshia! Happy New Year! Lisa

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  2. Great Inspiration, Thank you. Not giving up! Happy New Year

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    1. Don't give up, my friend! Keep it goin'! Thanks for reading, and sending you big hugs. Lisa

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  3. You're a sweetheart Lisa. And you're right. Don't give up is probably the most important key there is to making your dreams come true. Hoping all your dreams come true this year!

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    1. Awwww...thanks, Pat. And to, as well, DON'T give up, and may all YOUR dreams come true this year, as well! Keep writing, and thanks for reading. Lisa

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