Determination, Success

Why You Should Never Give Up

An old friend once wisely said to me: “It is not the smartest people that end up being the most successful. It is the most hard working”. And his words reaffirmed my belief in the importance of perseverance and determination.

From a young age, I’ve had great self-discipline. I didn’t believe in giving up on things when they got hard; I kept trying until I got the result I wanted.

And when I got to University, my attitude remained the same. After receiving an assignment mark that I was disappointed with, I booked a meeting with my tutor to see where I went wrong. I sat down with her, asking to go through every single bit of my Psychology assignment. As a result of my hard work, I ended up getting the highest grade possible for the completed assignment – a High Distinction.

It was my absolute dream to do well with my Psychology course and when things didn’t go according to plan, I didn’t give up. I chose to prove to myself that I was capable of doing well. The low grade was not the be-all and end-all. It challenged me to do better.

And likewise, as you might remember, I entered the Best Australian Blogs Competition 2012 last month. The results were not in my favour and to be honest, I was pretty shattered. I went on to question my writing ability and wondered whether I was even cut out to be a writer.

But I CHOSE not to give up. I CHOSE to believe in myself.

And because I believed in myself:
– I’ve been interviewed by a German journalist for her book
– Had one of my posts featured on a parenting website and their newsletter
– Had a PR ask me to help promote their client’s product
– Had someone from advertising offer to pay me for ad space;
– And I will soon be a columnist for a mum’s website.

If I had given up, I would not have reached any of those achievements. Instead, I CHOSE to believe in my abilities.

Life isn’t about winning competitions, it’s NOT about being the best at what you do; it’s about picking yourself up after you’ve fallen. The path to your accomplishments can sometimes go off track, but that doesn’t mean that you should give up.

The most challenging things in life are always the most rewarding. And if you give yourself the chance to test your capabilities, you will see that giving up is the very last thing that you should do. Don’t ever give up… on your dreams or on yourself.

Thuy Wood (formerly known as Thuy Yau) is a freelance writer, resume/cover letter writer and Youth Worker living in Perth, Australia. She loves to share her own personal experiences about overcoming adversity, as she believes that human beings are more capable than they realise. She writes to make a positive difference in the world and to inspire others to learn from themselves and their own experiences. Her writing has been discussed on radio, won writing contests, appeared on The Huffington Post UK and major Australian sites such as news.com.au, SMH, Kidspot and Essential Kids. She has just completed her first book – a memoir - and is on the search for a publisher.

8 thoughts on “Why You Should Never Give Up

  1. Truer words never have been spoken Thuy. What is success 90 per cent perspiration 10 per cent luck … Or something like that?

    But oh sooooo hard. Sometimes I just feel like I’m hitting my head against a wall. I try and try in certain areas, like trying to get my book on parenting published to even getting anyone to read my blog … All while raising a child, working full time and keeping my head up high.

    Like u say here though, u can’t give up … What’s the alternative?

    I look forward to your next post 🙂

    1. Yes, Thomas Edison once said: “Success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration”. I first heard that quote from my older brother, actually 🙂

      I know how you feel. It’s the same here, my eldest is at school & I’m home with my other two children. I spend most of my time tending to their special needs with appointment after appointment; it does get hard to juggle it all.

      But I think everything we do in life paves the way for something else. Everything has a PURPOSE. So by continuing to hold on, even when it gets hard, we are giving ourselves the chance for a better future.

      Good on you for soldiering on, you WILL get there!

      Thanks for reading 🙂

  2. Great article and true words. Loved your first guest post and found you through that.

    Wow, very nice that you’ve got some new clients with your article en even an interview! Keep up the good work !

    1. Thanks for the kind words, Christian 🙂

      As human beings, it is normal for us to feel doubtful about our talents, but we need to stay determined with what we want.

      Even I, at times, feel like giving up. But I imagine the future that I want to have and I keep going!

      Thanks for reading!

  3. Very Inspirational Articles Thuy.
    I love this words from you “The most challenging things in life are always the most rewarding” Its right and true. And you life story is good but you are in the story is the best with confidence and self-discipline.
    I would like to read about your self-discipline.
    Thanks for writing this post.

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