don’t quit (here’s why)

I've talked to a lot of people lately for whom (as they say) "the struggle is real." Burnout, stress, frustration, exhaustion, and the question of, "when does it get EASY?"  The "It" varying from parenthood to business ownership to finding the right relationship —to just being a human in the world today. It's a lot.

While I'm not an expert on how to go from burned out to fired up, I do want to drop something here for you that has helped me on many occasions. This is one of my favorite poems to reference when I need the reminder to Just Keep Going. I loved it so much that a few years ago I commissioned a drawing to accompany (below) - that is a compelling visualization that the life you want and the thing you dream about could be juuuuust on the other side of the wall. What if you give up RIGHT before you get it? I'm sorry but I didn't come THIS FAR to only go THIS far.

Enjoy 👇 and hang in there, friend.

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Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit - rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about when he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow - you may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up when he might have captured the victor's cup; and he learned too late when the night came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out - the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and when you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar; so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - it's when things seem worst, you must not quit.