Why Bother? You Ask
What has been your response to those situations in your life when you have tried and tried to get a chance to prove myself, to implement a new idea, or to improve a process, but you were faced with a barrier, bad timing, something being held against you, or the word no? If you ultimately responded by giving up and questioning why you should bother, let what I am about the share help you change your way of thinking.
Alternatives to Giving Up
In recent weeks I have been reminded of how I have changed. What happened in recent weeks to remind me of how I changed? Watching people on reality television shows not giving up when faced with adversity. Bear with me for a moment before you get turned off by the mention of reality television. The shows and people I am referring to offer examples of dealing with challenges, perseverance, and beating the odds that are worth noting as alternatives to giving up. I introduce to you Ashley, Edmond, and Pho Nominal Dumplings. Let their experiences and how they reacted to them encourage you to refrain from giving up.
Ashley – Don't Count Yourself Out: As of the writing of this post, Ashley is a designer on Project Runway. On one particular episode, teams were formed by designers selecting teammates. Ashley was chosen last, in spite of how talented she had shown herself to be in previous episodes. Adding insult to injury, when she began to share ideas, her teammates either interrupted her or they nixed her ideas (really good ideas) altogether. Sound familiar? That episode Ashley did her worst work. She had let those instances get in her head. The good news is that Ashley survived that episode. Even at her worst, she wasn't the worst. Going into the episodes following the one mentioned here, she adjusted her thinking. She realized her talent. In doing so she stopped counting herself out.
Edmond – Don't Let “No” Stop You Let it Make You Better: Edmond started auditioning for Project Runway since the first season. He tried out every single season. He finally made it on the show in what is now the 14th season. That's right; he tried out 14 times before all the “No” responses changed to a “Yes.” Edmond said in each of his attempts he made it farther than the last. Each time, he went away more determined and more focused to improve. Edmond's not giving up on hearing “No” over and over again improved his skills so much, he is often one of the top designers each week.
Pho Nomenal Dumplings Truck – Think Outside the Box: It was episode one of The Great Food Truck Race when the Pho Nomenal Dumplings truck caught fire somewhere in the engine! They were several hundred miles away from their home of North Carolina, they were on the first leg of the race, and their truck catches on fire. Tell me, what would you have done? Check this out: they used the money they had received to start the race for a tow truck and used their truck as collateral. It gets better: with their truck attached to a giant tow truck, they stayed in the competition selling from their truck. It keeps getting better: they were able to get their truck fixed and eke out enough money to make it out of the bottom two in order to continue in the competition. These women are now in the final episode vying for a chance to be the first all woman team to when the Great American Food Truck Race. The only thing standing in their way is the brothers from Utah with their waffle truck, Waffle Love, because these women are definitely not getting in their own way. They for certain did not entertain giving up.
No More Giving Up
If you have the habit of giving up when faced with instances as I described at the beginning or that mirror that of the people mentioned here, please no more giving up. If I can do you it, you can do it.
Today I try to live my life by pressing forward in spite of barriers and unfavorable situations rather than questioning why I should bother and ultimately giving. Don't get me wrong, there are some situations in our lives that don't deserve our efforts, but when it comes to not limiting ourselves because of a bump in the road, there are more positive reactions than giving up.
Start the Discussion: Having read about these stories of not giving up, what will you do differently when faced with a challenge or barriers? Share in the post comments, on Facebook or Twitter.