Never Quit - Emmanuel Abazu

Does it seem like despite your best efforts things never work out as you planned? Are you in despair because just when it seems you are making progress something goes wrong? At such times it is easy to feel defeated and to give up, but what can you do to stay on top of things?

It is a fact of life that despite all your best efforts at planning, strategics and being careful not to make mistakes some things will go wrong sometimes. 

One of my favorite poems, “Don’t Quit,” makes the statement more eloquently by saying:

 When things go wrong, as they sometimes will When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill……Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

I have seen this poem in countless places, mostly in the rooms of many university student. It is a source of strength and hope for many during difficult and stressful times. The reason is that it states a simple truth so well that for many it is like shining a light in the darkness.

I stuck it on my study room wall at one point.

The reason for putting it on the wall is simple. When things are going wrong it is very easy to lose perspective and to focus on the problem. The light in our lives often goes off at such instances. The message on the wall is like a light shining in the darkness demanding our attention. It is a reminder that no matter how bad it may seem, there is always hope. At such times, often after failing a test or just being so overwhelmed with schoolwork, it would be a great source of hope and encouragement.

Never Quit – things don’t always go as planned

 Things will go wrong at times, but you determine what happens after a setback. There are in essence two basic mindsets when it comes to dealing with setbacks. One is the mindset of a pessimist and the other is one of an optimist. Dr. Seligman in the book “Learned Optimism” states that there are some differences in the way a pessimist and an optimist view a problem. His explanation gives a lot of insight as to why some people manage to overcome setbacks and difficulties and others spiral into a dungeon of defeat and self doubt.

Never Quit – attitude matters

 Your attitude when things go wrong is ultimately more important than the event itself and is what will determine if the outcome will be positive or negative. I am in agreement with Kahlil Gibran when he says that “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.

If you have been defeated by a negative attitude towards setbacks do not lose hope. Admitting your mistakes is the first step to correcting them. A positive attitude can be learnt and developed. It is a matter of choice. You can make the choice,whenever faced with a difficulty to look at it form an optimistic point of view rather than a pessimistic one.

Take the advice from “Don’t Quit” and remember that:

“Success is failure turned inside out, The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you can never tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far; So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, It's when things seem worst That you must not quit.

You are all you can be. Go on and be it.