At some point in the various journeys we embark on in our lives, we are hit with numerous curve balls that tend to take us down into a spiral of gloom and distraught. We feel frustrated, discouraged, defeated, anxious, angry and depressed. The days become longer and nights darker, and tomorrow’s seem hopeless as we struggle to cope with the disappointments from our expectations not being fulfilled. Sometimes we give up before we even start and other times we give up just before we are about to make the big break-through that we have been so honestly striving for. Yes, life is hard, its true, you feel it more than ever when things go bad like a cold rod piercing through your skin. But ideally the reasons for giving up should not be an option for us since they act as easy shortcuts to destruction. And when we are experiencing hardship, we tend to think unlike our logical selves, but rather creating reasons to feel sorry for our existence, which in turn encapsulate us in a smaller and smaller box each time. We are all thrown a curveball at point or another in our life, and while its difficult to bear at the time, its important to recognize their temporary nature.
I was recently hit with a curve ball of my own, and felt inspired to do a post on the topic. Hopefully I can offer solace and motivation to people who might be going through the same thing. I am listing 12 reasons + film remedies as to why you should never give up regardless your hardship!
1. You’ve come too far, shed too many tears and sweat to look back now
How can it be worth giving up everything and taking the short cut when you have spent so much time trying to build that something. You may be stuck right now, but if you pull through and overcome the hardship, you will credit yourself in the end. Keep your hand to the plow, remember the promise, and focus on the harvest that “will come.”
For a film remedy, watch – One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
2. Bigger, Stronger, Faster
The Dalai Lama states that facing hardship will make us stronger and prone to facing future troubles to come. Hardships are difficult to experience, they hurt, and cause so much mental strain, but afterwards you will always come out a stronger individual because you have now lived through the worst and things will only get better from here.
For a film remedy, watch – Children of Heaven
3. Appreciate your life
I recently watched a TV show called Beyond Scared Straight, the show is about jail deterrence programs which are aimed at keeping at-risk teens from becoming future convicts. One particular prisoner in the show recalls to a girl, “how dare you give up on life, when I’m in here and I haven’t given up”. That about says it all, of course it’s not as white and black as that, but realizing that there are people who have and still are living in worse situations than you should outline the reality of your hardship. To give up now, knowing that you are at the hand of privileges and opportunity, will make you an ungrateful and arrogant individual.
For a film remedy, watch – Nobody Knows
4. Hardships will come
When the sun comes up, its bound to go down and tomorrow does come. Curveball’s may seem like they will continue forever, but they will end and you will always live to see another sunshine. With any problem, there is no way over it, under it, but only through it. There are no short cuts, so if you are bound to go through it, you can choose to make the best out of our situation. For example, if you are facing financial troubles, you can either slump down, feel pity for yourself, and continue to work or, choose to get up, maintain a positive attitude and enjoy a simpler life to fit your new budget (we all need simplicity ultimately), and still continue to work.
For a film remedy, watch – Life is Beautiful
5. Learn
If you are alive and walking, hardship will come to you. If we expect hardship to come, it will be easier to deal with. Therefore its in the ‘how’ we deal with it that will ultimately contribute or harm our life. The best way to deal with hardship is to learn from it since it is in our toughest moments that we learn a lot.
We learn about who we are, what we can and can’t do, and what we can tolerate.
We learn about our strengths and weaknesses and it can change who we are.
We also learn how to tackle the problems we face.
We learn what went right and what didn’t so that next time we don’t repeat our mistakes.
For a film remedy, watch – Adaptation
6. As long as you are alive anything is possible
The only valid excuse you have to give up is if you’re dead. As long as you are alive, healthy, free, and with all limbs attached, you have the choice to keep trying until you succeed. There is a famous Mongolian saying, ‘amid hun aragtai’, which means that as long as you are alive, you will find a way. Take into consideration for a moment all the things that people have done and do to survive, to live against all the odds, to choose life over death in every society and every culture; you will notice that the majority fight teeth and bone for their lives because life is too rich and giving up is just not an option.
For a film remedy, watch – Schindler’s List
7. You Are Strong
You are stronger than you think. We always underestimate ourselves, our full potentials, and our full capacity to render problems. One setback is not enough to stop you from achieving your goals, neither are 10 or 100 or 1000 setbacks!
For a film remedy, watch – My Left Foot
8. Stay true to Your Dreams
Don’t sell yourself short for anything. We all have goals that we want to achieve but there are many moments, people, and reasons that will try to bring you down and make things seem impossible to achieve. You have to stay strong amid all this and keep your eyes on the goal because nothing and nobody has the right to destroy your dreams or your hopes.
I want to make a life out of my passion for art, and have total financial freedom to travel the world and do what I want, when I want, where I want, how I want and with whomever I want. This for me is not just a dream or a desire, but a need and a goals which I refuse to slip from my grasp. The idea of not having what I want can almost make me physically sick. So when curveballs come around from time to time, I think about how it would feel not to achieve my dreams and this gives me the energy and motivation to move forward.
For a film remedy, watch – Watch Hoop Dreams
9. Prove Yourself
This may sound like an odd reason, but I believe it is an honest reason that many successful people have used from time and time again over the centuries. You don’t want to be known to yourself or to others as someone who is weak and who gives up. If proving to yourself is not enough, go out there and prove yourself to the world and for anyone who every doubted you. You CAN and WILL achieve what you set out to do, the only time you fail is when you give up.
For a film remedy, watch – PI
10. Never give up
It’s now at the point of breaking that success comes. For those that can push through and continue, they reap the rewards. The people who give up now are the people who never achieve anything. So no matter what you need to keep going, keep fighting and keep moving towards your dreams.
For a film remedy, watch – The Worlds Fastest Indian
11. It’s just meant to be
Some may not find huge solace with this one but I always felt that destiny plays a big part with obstacles, including the great times as well as the less than happy. They come out of nowhere and disappear just as bewilderingly. In a strange relief, it’s good to accept this. It’s something you have to go through and experience because it shapes your character and alters your outlook. It can’t be planned or side-stepped and though it feels personal, but it’s not. What’s meant to be is meant to be.
For a film remedy, watch – Night on Earth
12. Mind over matter
The power of your mind is stronger than the body, so your body has all the right tools to mold your physically burdensome experience into a positive mental experience, or vise versa. So if you don’t mind – it doesn’t matter, and if you do mind – it will matter.
For a film remedy, watch – The Terminal
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