Why You Should Keep On Keeping On.

Photo by Anukrati Omar on Unsplash

Have you ever tried something and you just felt like giving up on it? Or is it just me? You try...and try...and try...and it just seems like nothing you try is working.

Now, there are various sayings and quotes that we often hear to motivate us. Things like "just keep on keeping on"...and yes, it's easy to tell someone else to just keep on keeping on...duh... But have you done it.

Then there is the famous story about the gold-digger who was searching for gold.

After months of digging and not finding anything, he decided to sell the piece of land where he was digging.

He sold it for next to nothing because he thought it wasn't worth anything and just wanted to get rid of it. Yet, the new owner barely started digging where the previous owner had stopped, and within a matter of inches, he struck gold.

On the other hand, you might be determined and you refuse to give up. But you also have to face the idea of "knowing when it's time to count your losses and move on".

So, there are times when there is also value in this way of reasoning too...knowing when it's time to count your losses.

If you can clearly see something is not working, it is foolish to keep on doing the same thing. There is also a saying " to keep on doing the same thing but to expect a different result is a sign of insanity".

That is exactly why I chose the title for this post as "Why You Should Keep On Keep On" and not "When You Should Keep On Keeping On".

It's putting it into context by knowing "why" you should keep on keeping on. It's not just about being stubborn and refusing to quit without any logic to it.

If you keep on trying, but you are not seeing any results, the first thing I would say, is to try doing it differently...or try a new strategy... You can still try, but something has to change. When you have tried from many different angles...you have tried different strategies, etc., and it just doesn't give you any results, it might be time to count your losses and rather move on.

In such a case, whatever it is you want to do is clearly not going to work, or at least not for you at this point in time. Stop. Step back and take a break. Assess the situation. Will it be worth your while to try again later or should you call it a day and let it go?

If you decide to let go of your idea, I wouldn't exactly call that a failure.

You've put it to the test and now you know that it won't work...well, not for you at least. To make it work, might be too costly or maybe you just won't enjoy doing it in another way... But now you know. You will never have to wonder if it could have worked...if only you tried...

But, if you see results, however small it might be, then keep on keeping on.

Start tweaking, start trying different strategies to see if you can improve on your results... but keep on keeping on!

You know why you should keep on keeping on. You know what the end result is that you want to accomplish and you can actually see yourself making progress. You know that you are making progress because you can see results.

However small the results might be at this point in time, why would you stop if you can see that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal?

"Yes, it's easy to keep on keeping on when you see results", you might say.

No, not necessarily. If those results are small, and then you get a breakthrough with some great result...and tomorrow you are back to those small results again (sometimes even smaller)..., the thought of "is this really worth it?" does cross your mind, believe me!

But this is when you need to become determined. Look at where you were 6 months ago...a year ago, and look at where you are now.

Real success does not come overnight. If it did, nobody would have made such a fuss about truly successful people.

Real success comes through commitment, dedication, and hard work.

Real success comes when you know why you should keep on keeping on. It doesn't make it any easier, but when you know why, you are able to dig deeper. You keep digging until you find that inspiration that you need to get up again and keep on keeping on. You can see results and you refuse to quit. You rather keep on, trying to improve those results.

Am I there yet? No, I'm not. But I've heard from quite a few people that I consider to be successful on this platform, how it also began slowly for them. And when they now think back to about a year ago, they would not have thought it possible to be where they are now.

What do I learn from that? Keep on keeping on. It will be slow in the beginning...and when I talk about the beginning, I'm not just referring to a month or two...but as long as you see results, that's good.

Sometimes you have a great day with huge results...just to be back to the smaller results tomorrow... It doesn't matter. Keep on keeping on, because you never know when that real breakthrough is coming... you don't know exactly when things are going to speed up. And when that happens, you better be ready to handle it.

As I have said, I'm not there yet myself. But I can see doors opening that I didn't even know exist a month ago. And the only way to find out if it's the right door for me is by entering. Take every opportunity that comes your way. See what you can learn about it and what you can learn from it. Test it.

Then make a decision about what to do next. But don't become passive. Don't even think about quitting (you will, but just ignore it...lol).

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Just keep on keeping on.

So, with that, I'm not going to keep you any longer from doing what you need to be doing...lol.

But thank you for taking the time to read my post, I really do appreciate it.