You Were This Close to Winning… Then You Quit

Why is it often hard to achieve a goal?

Many of us try to accomplish the goals we’ve set in life, but somewhere along the way, we suddenly stop.

Maybe most of us would say it’s because we got stressed, so we gave up. But why did we get stressed in the first place? What happened that pushed us to feel stressed and just give up on the goals we set?

How many goals have I set that I never finished?

This year, I set a goal to lose weight. I started at 85 kilos and managed to bring it down to 81. I worked out for about two months, then suddenly stopped. Now, I’m back to 83 kilos again.

I did the same thing last year. I worked out for about two months, lost some weight, but then stopped again.

Looking back, I’ve had so many goals I never completed. Sure, I’ve accomplished a few, but I think there are more that I quit halfway through.

Just a few days ago, I realized the reason why I keep stopping when working on my goals.

My Realization

And I realized it because of a goal I’ve been trying hard to accomplish this year. You might think it’s a shallow example, but when I thought about it, it actually made a lot of sense, it really was a big factor in why I tend to stop pursuing my goals.

The goal I set this year (actually, it started last year) was to grow my hair long. Since September last year, I haven’t had a haircut. I’ve always wanted to grow my hair out.

Right now, my hair is quite long. I can almost tie it into a top knot, although not all of it fits yet, especially the sides, since they’re not long enough. They cover my ears, but I can’t tie them back with the rest of my hair.

One night, while I was drinking coffee (yes, I drink coffee at night and still manage to sleep, haha!), I got irritated with the hair that wouldn’t stay tied. Sometimes it falls into my eyes or face, and it’s really annoying.

I suddenly thought about going to the barbershop and getting a haircut. The truth is, it’s really hot here in the Philippines, and with long hair, I feel even hotter.

I almost went to get a haircut. I was thinking about how refreshing it would feel to have short hair again.

But then I stopped myself. I thought about all the time I spent growing my hair. Maybe I just needed to endure this for another four months and I’d finally be able to tie it all up and feel comfortable. So why couldn’t I just wait?

Don’t Give Up When It Gets Tough

That’s when it hit me, most of the goals I’ve given up on were because of discomfort. I felt irritated with my hair and almost had it cut, without even thinking about the eight months of effort I’d already put in, or the fact that I was almost there.

That’s what often bothers us when we set goals. You start saving money, cutting back on expenses, and then get frustrated because you can’t buy what you want or go where you want to go.

You try to lose weight, so you go on a diet and exercise, but sometimes, you’re just too tired to work out. Exercising and dieting become uncomfortable.

Okay, wait, I’m not complaining. I just realized that maybe, like me, when things become uncomfortable or when I don’t like how I feel, I tend to give up.

I realized that determination is really important in accomplishing a goal. Even when things become uncomfortable, you don’t stop, because you know that once you achieve your goal, you’ll finally feel comfortable again.

Do I have a short patience? I don’t think so. Even if it takes me a long time to reach a goal, I’m still patient and persistent.

So, to those of you setting goals but reaching a point where you feel like giving up, just remember that once you finally achieve your goal, you'll feel comfortable again.

And think about all the hardships you've already gone through just to reach that goal, don’t let a single day of irritation or discomfort make you give up.