Should You Give Up?

Following your dream can be hard.

At times it might feel like a roller coaster ride.

I’ve had many people recently come to me and say they feel like giving up.

They feel like they’ve done so much and don’t know what to do next.

Let me tell you the story someone I know named Amanda; I think this will shed light on whether you should give up.

Amanda is a super talented writer. She wrote this epic fantasy book that I could easily see being made into a movie. Every time, I spoke to her about the book she litup and her excitement was contagious. Amanda really wanted to get the attention of specific publishing houses and agents and eagerly sent out her manuscript.

She waited patiently and one bright morning, she opened her mailbox and she got her first response! Yes!

She opened the letter and it was a rejection. Ouch!

Shortly thereafter, rejection after rejection came in the mail and she got really depressed.

I told Amanda that her book was AMAZING, and I gently suggested that she try to find her audience online.

She said “No,” because she wanted a big time publisher like Knopf to pick up her manuscript.

What happened next was a twist of fate.

Some time later, Amanda was approached by an indie book publisher to write books in a different genre. Problem was this was a genre she didn’t like. To be completely honest, she HATED this genre because she didn’t agree with the message it was spreading.

However, the books in that genre were cult hits; many of their authors had reached cult celebrity status and made enough money to quit their day jobs. At the time, Amanda was out of work and the prospect of making some quick cash was alluring.

So against every fiber of her being Amanda said, “Yes,” and began writing her first book in this cult hit genre.

When she told me this, I was shocked! But more than shocked, I was extremely sad. I reminded her about the awesome fantasy book she wrote and said now is the perfect opportunity to put it out there.

The reason I was so passionate about this was because I knew deep down in my gut that this was a major crossroad for her. I also knew there was a hungry audience waiting for her!

Her final decision was to write the book she didn’t want to write. 🙁

When her book was published she had to promote it, as this was part of her contract. This was A LOT of work both on and off line. While she gritted her teeth and promoted the book her amazing manuscript was collecting dust on her hard drive.

When it was all said and done the book wasn’t a hit however, she got convinced towrite an entire series in this same genre.

I wish this story had a happy ending for you but right now it doesn’t.

It’s easy to say, “Wow, Amanda sold out (or whatever other adjective)”, but instead of judging Amanda I invite you to ask yourself how are you giving up in any way on your dream?

Giving up looks different for different people.

It might look like saying yes to an opportunity that you really want to say no to like Amanda did.

It might look like not taking action consistently.

It might look like negative thoughts such as, “If I do this, it won’t matter anyway.”

So back to the question: Should you give up?

What I will tell you point blank I won’t answer that question for you.

What I do know for sure is that your dream was given to you for a reason, and onlyyou have the key to unlock its realization.

As Deepak Chopra says,

Within every desire is the mechanics of its fulfillment. ~@DeepakChopra Click To Tweet

Instead of focusing on giving up focus on these ideas instead:

Write Down Your Five Reasons

Instead of focusing why you should give up, do the opposite and write down 5 reasons why you would keep on going today. How will your vision effect the world, your life and those around you in a positive way.

Be Bold

Do you have an idea you’ve been sitting on? Maybe you’ve been waiting for the right time to put it out there. Instead of trying to get it perfect. Decide on a date when you will share your baby with the world.

Reach Out

There’s this saying that goes you need other people to make your dreams happen. This doesn’t mean that you’re powerless. Quite the contrary, it means that if you’re passionate and in action you will actually attract the people who will help you make your dream come true. Is there someone you’ve been meaning to reach out to? If so, it’s time to reach out to them. Send a handwritten note, send an email just because.