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Why Do Some People Succeed in Difficult Situations While Others Give Up?
Because for most people it’s harder to focus on overcoming a challenge and much easier to quit it.
To be fair, the concept of quitting can mean different things to different people. It can mean quitting a job or degree program at university, but also giving up on a goal, letting go of an idea or habit or dream, making a decision that an outcome isn’t really worth it (and this can be for many different reasons), being tired of constant small failures that repeat over time, being exhausted to the point of having no energy to move forward, getting distracted by something else that seems more interesting and worth our time, or wishing to go back to a comfort zone of doing something familiar we are good at, instead of pushing ourselves to do something new.
One book I recently read that has made a deep impression on me is by David Goggins and is called Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds. Goggins is a triathlete, ultramarathon runner, and retired U.S. Navy SEAL who served in the Iraq War. You may have heard of his motivational speeches on YouTube where he advocates staying focused and disciplined and building endurance during fitness training. In his book he describes participating in three and surviving two Hell Weeks to qualify for SEAL training. I’ve heard many stories about Hell Week…
