When you’re pursuing a worthwhile goal it’s almost inevitable that at some point you’ll think one or more of the following: “This is harder than I thought it would be.” – “Why is this taking so long?” – “I’m getting nowhere with this.” – “I keep failing at this goal.” – “I can’t do this. What was I thinking?”
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And when you do have one or more of these thoughts, it’s very likely that you’ll want to give up.
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I have witnessed so many people give up over the years, some very skillful practitioners, some really great people inside and outside of the dojo, and it’s a shame, a real shame.
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If you ever played competitive sports, you may very well have heard this old maxim bellowed from across a field or gym by a coach looking to squeeze that little bit of “extra effort” from you…… I’ve heard it many times…… “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.”
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Not giving up is a mindset. And it’s a mindset that you can adopt. Having an “I won’t quit” mindset will make it much easier for you to persist, and refuse to give up, until you achieve your goal.
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You can learn a lot by watching other people too. And learning to persevere is no exception.
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Watching others refuse to give up will strengthen your own resolve to keep going. Tell yourself the following: “They didn’t quit, and neither will I.”
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Refusing to give up doesn’t mean that you should simply keep doing the same thing over and over again. If the approach that you’re currently using isn’t working, try a different approach. Continue in this way until you find a method, technique, or strategy that works for you.
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We know that anything that’s worthwhile….. truly worthwhile….. usually takes a while. We know that the biggest achievements are born of the hardest work.
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What matters is how much work YOU put into training, for your own improvement.
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Remember that nothing converts into a success right after the first attempt, perhaps not even the second or third. All those successful karate-ka that you see around you today are none other than the ones who have never accepted failure at some point.
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They might have failed a million times, but they didn’t accept it, even for a single time. They have always been the ones who kept on trying over and over again.
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Life is not a bed of roses, and on this trodden path, you will find difficulties, but the practitioners that keep going are the ones who keep on walking down that same path despite all the hurdles they come across.
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Persistence, tenacity and discipline are extremely important factors in determining whether or not you will be able to achieve success in your martial arts, and in life. There will be times when you will feel like giving up, but the moment you give up, you accept your failure and refuse to stand up all over again. In accepting defeat, the journey is over right there and then.
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If you truly want to achieve you have to learn to keep on going, no matter what the challenges you face along the way. After all, it’s the journey not the destination.
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