When is it Time to Give Up?

I am not the type of person who gives up and walks away, that’s just not me. This probably has something to do with the fact that I was taught that when you start something you see if through. However, are there times when it is O.K. to give up and walk away and , if so, how do you know when that time has arrived. Those who knew me know that I a loyal to a fault and, as a result, there have been times I have not walked away from things when the time was right and stayed holding on too long. Honestly, I would say this is one of my greatest traits but also my greatest weakness. I am sure I am not the only one who has been in that situation in my life and I am sure I will not be the last either.

For myself, there is this little thing called hope that has me stay all in when many would walk away. It is not always the best decision and one that I find myself still struggling with even to this day. Regardless of what we face in life, everything has a season and a time to each season. Those seasons change from one to the next but knowing when it is changing is not always the easy part. Sometimes the season is clearly ending and the new one is peeking around the corner just waiting for us to begin that new chapter in our book of life. Other times the season has ended and we are still holding on to the one that has past despite that everything around us make this clear. This leaves the question of how do we move forward and stop holding firm to the moment that has passed us by?

We can over analyze anything and talk ourselves into believing the many possible situations that could allow for the season to remain and not move forward despite the fact that the evidence surrounding us screams that we are wrong. When we do this we are not helping ourselves, only hurting ourselves and chaining us to the moment we need to let go. There is no easy answer to why we do this but the real lesson is when you decide to give up and move on. It may feel like defeat, especially if you have been giving it your all and then some. What we have to keep in mind is that in some of these situations there is only so much we can do as one individual and that it takes more than one with the same intense effort to find victory. Giving up is never easy and the fear of what’s next is not appealing to many.

So when we give up how do we know it is right? In my life, when that moment has arrived I had a small voice telling me what I didn’t want to hear and a feeling inside me that this is what needs to happen. Did I ignore it? Yes mostly because I was ready to hear it or to accept what was right in front of me. Other times I embraced that voice and didn’t think to look back because I knew that something better was just beyond the horizon. When making that choice means that the life as you know it will drastically change it is harder to accept. Some people welcome change but I have always hesitated because I like what I know and have a fear of what I don’t. This is also difficult when you know that not only your life will change but it will also change the life of others. What we have to realize that giving up is the next step to moving forward and removing that which is holding us back, preventing us from being our best self, and planting doubt in our minds with what we are capable of. When the hourglass has reached its end don’t try to turn it over again, accept it, embrace it, and look forward to what is there waiting. Giving up is not failure it is knowing when one chapter has ended and the next is just waiting to begin.