DON’T GIVE UP

“However difficult life is, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.”  

            These words of advice were given in 1983 by Professor Stephen Hawking, the great British quantum physicist whose theories on the universe have revolutionized our understanding of the world we all share. This advice in fact has resonated from generation after generation of aspiring students in search of their own success for as long as man has faced obstacles. It is certainly one of the truly fundamental platforms that success stories are built on and is the natural driving force that ensures survival of the species.

In respect of Hawking, the comment was most certainly based on his own personal experiences and life history. For even after he was diagnosed with the life-threatening debilitating disease of ALS in 1953 and was not expected to survive beyond age 21, he never gave up his hopes and his dreams. For more than 50 years after, his failing body and progressive paralysis was never able to hold back his brilliant mind and his ceaseless determination to open up the universe to a better understanding. He persisted to drive relentlessly on to achieve so much more out of life, even as he became a crumpled piece of humanity confined to a wheelchair and able to communicate only by the use of a single facial muscle and a sophisticated computer system. His story is a tribute not only to a brilliant mind whose work has catapulted human knowledge to unimaginable heights, but equally to an indomitable spirit that never gave up, despite enormous and unrelenting obstacles.

But such amazing examples in Perseverance are neither unique nor limited to a few specially endowed individuals. In fact the history of the world, for as long as man has kept records, overflows with names of people and incidences that illustrate conclusively that all the successful events that have occurred and have benefited mankind have taken place following determined perseverance, often in the face of recurring failures. The following are but a few of the endless examples of these people:

Sir Winston Churchill, Nobel laureate and British Prime Minister during WWII, was a poor student, defeated in every election he contested but became one of the greatest leaders of all- time.

Mahatma Gandhi, shy and introspective, was afraid to go to court but became a great leader who secured freedom of India from British rule. 

Thomas Edison, The great inventor who was said to h8ave tried and failed 1000 times before perfecting the electric bulb.

Albert Einstein, was a slow developer, considered to be a poor learner but ended up a Nobel laureate and the most famous physicist.

Henry Ford, founder of the highly successful FORD MOTOR COMPANY, failed and was bankrupt at least 5 times before succeeding.

Walt Disney, failed in several endeavors before succeeding in creating the world’s greatest entertainment company bearing his name.

Michael Jordan, was not good enough to be on the school team but persisted to become one of the greatest basketball player, ever.

Psychologists describe perseverance or not giving up, as an intentional continuation or determined reapplication of effort toward a goal despite the urge to stop. It is reflection of the intent and commitment by the individual and a major source of the energy needed to provide the focus and strength to succeed. Most of these systems are deeply embedded in the subconscious psyche and only a small degree is subject to conscious awareness. This explains why any successful attempt to institute motivation is less a factor of the prevailing conditions and more of deep-seated belief. It also explains why it is exceedingly difficult to successfully motivate anyone to copy the actions of others, without first getting them to look into their own minds to find the tools needed. This factor is considered to be the prime reason for nearly all the progress made in human civilization, since any change required having to cope with and overcome repeated failures or resistance before succeeding.

Contrary to the general belief, the examples of exceptional persistence are not limited only to a relatively few stories of  outstanding successes and achievements, but in fact, translates to every single aspect of life and living where an individual is challenged to overcome obstacles and is called upon to go beyond his comfort zone. In so many instances the single most important factor ensuring successful outcome is due, much less to inherent ability or inherited intelligence, but rather to strength of character and depth of determination. Benjamin Disraeli, one of Britain’s great statesmen, founder of the British Conservative party and Prime Minister of the UK during the period 1874-1880, and himself no stranger to overcoming adversities and obstacles in his professional lifetime, acknowledged this in the following observation:

“Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.”

We are all endowed to some extent with this inbred desire to succeed. It is deeply embedded in the psyche of the individual and is the lynch pin of survival and growth.  But even though it is essentially an inherited component passed on from generation to generation, yet it is subject to great modification by subsequent exposure to learning and experience. It is seen as early as infancy when, for example, the baby is learning to stand up and walk. The baby will only succeed after repeated attempts of standing and falling have occurred and the rate of success depends as much on its innate instincts as to the influence of the environment. The more encouragement it receives, the quicker the response. This option is available throughout the life of the individual and progress depends overwhelmingly on the effort expended. But whether he chooses to make use of it or not, is a very personal decision that depends on a multitude of factors related to learning, past experiences and personality make-up. For, in order to be effective, it requires not only suppression of subconscious fear and inadequacy, but equally, the application of strength and confidence to the task. Without this, there will be no success as Thomas Carlyle, one of Scotland’s greatest philosophers, more than 200 years ago noted in the following observation:

 “Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all the obstacles, discouragement and impossibilities; It is this that in all things distinguish the strong soul from the weak.”

          
        But the urge to persevering is not only dependent on the attitude and the state of mind of the individual, but also on an effective biological function related to the body’s chemistry. There is well documented evidence that the production of one of the body’s most essential neurotransmitters, Dopamine, operating on certain specific centers in the brain, can also play a major role in determining the ultimate action taken. Scientists have consistently identified higher levels of dopamine being linked to good performance and to be a prime factor in ensuring the discipline needed as a motivating force to help push through and achieve the goal. It appears to act in several key ways; as a fuel that assists in harnessing the individual’s resources to continue forward, as a standard in the formation of good habits and as a catalyst to resist the urge to give up. Dopamine is often categorized in the popular culture as the chemical of desire and motivation and in recent years has received much scientific interest.

          

           Even a cursory review of the thoughts expressed and the reasons offered by some of the most successful people who have contributed to the improvement of the quality of life over the years will reveal a constant stream of unrelenting determination:

Thomas Edison, unquestionably one of America’s greatest and most prolific inventors and entrepreneurs, in offering an explanation in respect of the many unsuccessful attempts he made before succeeding said:

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 1,000 ways that won’t work”

Robert Kyosaki, celebrated Japanese-American author, lecturer and business financial adviser was even more direct when he advised:

“Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning.”

Jim Rohn, a very successful American entrepreneur, author and public speaker recognized the difference between success and failure when he recommended:

“Successful people do what unsuccessful are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better.”

Wayne Dyer, a well respected American philosopher, author and motivational speaker whose lectures were very highly regarded, took pain to draw attention to the need to be proactive when he said:

         “Be miserable or motivate yourself.

          Whatever has to be done is always your choice.”

Anatole France, one of France’s most respected authors and a Nobel laureate, in describing his own experiences, wrote:

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream. Not only plan but also believe.”

In all of these, as in the countless number of quotations by other people who have succeeded in fulfilling their dreams and changing the world they lived in, the overriding theme is one of persistence, of not willing to give up in the face of resistance or of failure, but driving on in search of success. It does not mean that success is assured, nor does it mean that it protects from recurrent failure, but it insists that giving up not only robs one of the joy of completion, but even worse, reinforces an attitude of doing so again. Thomas Edison, one of America’s greatest inventors, innovators and industrialists, speaking from very personal experience, confirmed the truth of this when he observed:

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success, when they gave up.”

      

        But to cultivate an attitude of not giving up must be a lifelong pursuit and must form an integral part of a person’s life and living. There is no doubt that as long as we are alive we will inevitably be faced with situations where life seems too hard and no matter how we try, we are never able to reach our goals or fulfill our dreams. In such instances it is easy and tempting to just give up and delude ourselves into feeling that the “next one will be easier.” But experience has shown that this is not true nor is it ever guaranteed. Life itself is a roller coaster of ups and downs and the sooner we recognize we do have the power to modify these changes and increase our chances of improving its quality the better it will be. This will come only from the promise of not giving up, of persevering, in the face of failure. Calvin Coolidge, the 30^th President of the US, credited as one of the most successful of the presidents in bringing the country together, openly acknowledged the power of not giving up when he said:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.”

Indeed, experience has repeatedly confirmed that no human response can be as effective and as successful as that of Not Giving Up!

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