Quitting is easy.
Anybody can quit. In fact, most people do. If everybody was determined, tough, and dedicated, we would see the winner’s circle a lot more crowded. But it isn’t crowded because most people give up way too early before they’ve had time to win. I believe if you have the courage and strength to hang in there when the going is tough and refuse to give up, you dramatically increase your chances of winning.
There are some good reasons not to quit.
The first reason is that losing, like winning, is a habit. All quitters are good losers. If you quit now, it makes it easier to quit again. Pretty soon quitting becomes a way of life.
The second reason is that if you quit, that opportunity is lost. You got into the car business to be somebody, to do something special. You didn’t want to be average and ordinary. You wanted a challenge, you craved competition, you wanted to achieve something big. Don’t lose the opportunity you have by quitting.
Nothing makes the tough times easier. But there are some “do’s and don’ts” that can help you keep your eye on the goal and keep you hanging on when you feel that there is little or even no hope.
Here are three ideas to help you hang on:
- Use the magic of 30 days.
One of the best ways to keep on keeping on when all hell is loose is to set specific short-term goals. Set yourself up to win some little successes so your long-term goals don’t seem so overwhelming. When things aren’t going well, these little victories can mean the difference between giving up and seeing enough hope to help you hang on until things improve. Be sure to make the 30-day goal fairly tough; the purpose here is to revitalize your business or your life. It’s not the time for a mediocre effort. Set a stiff goal and plan to do it for 30-days straight. - Devise a system of reward and punishment.
When you set a goal you’re making a commitment. You’ve got to have a system that will force you to stick to that commitment. Otherwise you are going to get tired and a couple of days into your 30 day commitment you’re going to let that goal slide. Beat those natural tendencies and set yourself up to win with a system of reward and punishment. I recommend this app for your smartphone called The Habit List. It’s a great way to keep track of what you need to do to reach your goal each day. It’s easy to use and it helps you stay motivated about your goal.If you reach your goals for the week, go out and reward yourself with maybe a nice dinner with your significant other. If you fail to reach your goal, then you need to forego that nice dinner and put in the time to ensure you meet next week’s goal.Muhammad Ali admitted to hating the grueling preparation for a fight. He said, “I hated every minute of the training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” - Give your efforts time.
Hang on! When things are tough, we tend to get discouraged and do less than we’ve done before. Wrong! This is the worst time to slow down. The best cure for discouragement is to keep pushing. Do something. Nothing could be worse than standing still and watching your dreams collapse around you. Failure is never the end of the road — that is, unless we give up. Refuse to give up.
Remember, before you can be great, you’ve got to be good. Before you can be good, you’ve got to be bad. But before you can even be bad, you’ve got to try.
Winners are made, not born.
It’s important to remember that everything doesn’t always go just the way you imagined it. Many people give up because the reality of their adventure doesn’t quite meet up with the beauty of their dream. That doesn’t mean there was anything wrong with the dream. It just means we live in a less-than-perfect world. It’s life. Give yourself a chance.
“You don’t have to always have the lead if you have the heart to come from behind.”
I’d love to hear thoughts . . .
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