There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream. ~Author Unknown~

Are you on the verge of giving up on your dream? Are you just about to let all your hopes and dreams slip through your fingers? Has the thought crossed your mind?

Are you despairing because things are not working out the way you expected? Are you wondering how you will ever accomplish your goal or even whether you really have what it takes to achieve them?

If you are already feeling the familiar feeling of despair that accompanies the fear that your dreams and hopes might go down the drain…DO NOT GIVE UP! Get up and fight for your dream. Fight for what you believe in.

Here are 8 tips to help you hang on and not give up:

1. Take charge of your life.

When you give up, quit, lose hope or abandon your dream or goal, you give both yourself and other external circumstances permission to sabotage your efforts. You lose the power over your dream. You have to get that power back by taking control of your life.

Don’t give in to self-defeating, self-sabotaging and dream choking thoughts. No matter how bumpy the ride is, don’t abandon your dream. Get on the drivers seat of your life, wear your seat belt and drive to your destination. It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it. ~ Douglas MacArthur~

2. Reconnect with your vision.

Before you decide to throw it all away, ask yourself why you had the initial desire to achieve that goal/dream. What compelled and stirred your heart toward that vision? Why was it so important to you? As you reflect on your answers, allow the passion for your vision to give you the strength to carry on.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~ Kahlil Gibran~

3. Focus on your big picture.

When things go wrong, don’t betray the plan. Don’t let short-term obstacles snuff the life out of your long-term goal. Work on overcoming whatever is momentarily standing in the way of your dream. Bear in mind that achieving the goal is the big picture and not the obstacle in your path to your big picture. Stick to the plan for your life. The race is only over when you reach the finish line. Honor you desire to achieve your goal. Run the race of your life and until you get to the end.

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. ~Stephen Covey ~

4. Believe in yourself.

Having your hopes dashed can damage your self-confidence. No matter how bad the situation seems, believe in yourself and in your ability to succeed. The fact that you thought about your idea, worked on it and turned it into reality counts for something and is evidence enough that you can do it!

With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable. ~Thomas Foxwell Buxton ~

5. Persevere

The journey to success is usually filled with many obstacles. Dealing with obstacles aren’t only time consuming but can also drain your energy, motivation and drive as you struggle to overcome them. The temptation to give up may be so compelling but don’t give up…perseverance pays! Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. ~Newt Gingrich

6. Be resilient.

Resilience is an ability to bounce back and stand on your feet after a hard knock out punch. Simple thoughts such as “I will survive” and “I will try again” are enough to get your hopes high again and to set you rolling and in motion again.

When the world says, "Give up,” Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." ~Author Unknown~

7. Change your perspective.

Perhaps you just need to see things from a different perspective in order to understand how you can do it better. You may have to rethink your strategy, revise a few things or be creative. The saying goes that “It is hard to see the picture when you are in the frame” Perhaps it would help if you got out of the frame and really looked at the Big Picture!

Problems are not stop signs; they are guidelines. ~Robert Schuller~

8. Hang on!

There is no better way of saying this. This quote sums it all up…Hang on! Don’t give up! There is surely something in that dream or goal that’s worth holding on to. Find it and hang on to it.

“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on” ~Franklin D. Roosevelt~

Whatever it is that you aspire to achieve…Never, ever give up!

Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting. ~Christopher Morley

Caroline Jalango
www.dobetterforyourself.com