Just last week, so many thoughts ran through my mind. The feeling of tiredness was so huge that it almost led to depression. I felt like quitting my job which I once celebrated. I felt like quitting my forth coming professional exams. I felt like even quitting my contributions to this paltform, as a matter of fact, I had already typed the mail to send before this topic dropped in my heart and I felt someone might also need this encouragement.
A lot of times, we are weighed down by too many emotional baggages that they begin to affect the quality of our decisions. While this feeling of tiredness was intensified last week, I felt I needed to talk to someone in order to detox my mind and gain new insight to forge ahead. I quickly rushed to the office of one of the senior staff in the office where I work whom I have a very good rapport with. I simply told her, ‘Ma, I am tired’. She was a bit shocked and responded, ‘what exactly is making you tired. You are a young and vibrant lady and I draw a lot of inspiration from you’. I was surprised at her response and I wondered how a seemingly little me would inspire this my senior colleague.
As she quizzed me to find out the source of my tiredness, she counselled me and said, ‘Joyce, before you quit always try to remind yourself why you started in the first place. The purpose behind your actions will fire you up to continue’. I started to scan through my heart to find purpose again but that wasn’t the high point in my discourse with her. She shared a personal story with me which I am going to share with you in my next article and I bet you will be as inspired as I was. So stay tuned!
What’s my gist today? Every day isn’t going to be rosy. Some days, you might feel so motivated and want to bring down the goliaths in your life like young David and some other days, you might run to hide away from challenges just like Mighty Elijah but whatever be the case, you have to decide dear. To continue or to quit boils down to choice. You need to ask yourself, why do I want to quit? What would I benefit from quitting? If you search your heart intently, you would discover that there is really no good reason to quit, it is all tied to our feelings. This is not to negate the fact that we get to certain points and seasons in our life when we need to disengage from certain pursuits and focus on higher responsibilities. Except you are in that season, DON’T QUIT!
To keep at it simply means to continue doing something even if you are tired and would prefer to stop. This counsel always come in handy each day I visit the gym, as my energy wanes low, I keep hearing my coach say, ‘keep trying, when you feel tired, the exercise just started working’ and sometimes, that counsel keeps me going even when I feel like burning out. This counsel ought to go beyond the gym room and affect our daily life pursuits. Even when there is no external voice to beckon on you to keep at it, you must speak to yourself until you are energized again to continue. You must learn to be the first prophet over your life and continually encourage yourself to renew strength.
Dearie, it’s already the fifth month in the year 2017 and I know a lot of things might have gone wrong. Some of the plans you penned down at the beginning of the year might not have seen the light of day but hey, DON’T STOP! There are too many things to make you discouraged especially when you consider the happenings in your environment, but hey, DON’T QUIT! I know the obstacles to achieving the dreams in your heart might be more real to you that the possibility of working it out but hey, KEEP AT IT! Oh, but I am not skilled to carry out my job but hey, you can only get better if you continue. You must keep trying even in the face of challenges and trials for that is how champions are made.
As you face the month of May, know this: INSPIRATION IS INTENTIONAL. Don’t wait for it to come, turn on the tap and it will flow. Stay in quietness and listen to your heart more than the voices in your external environment. I’m thoroughly convinced that you will succeed if you KEEP AT IT!
Happy new month pals!
Posted by By – Joyce Paulsen
