Here’s What it Means When You Want to Give Up

Encountering challenges is something every entrepreneur has to prepare for. It’s pretty much inevitable that each of us will face disappointments, setbacks and problems. There could be losses – financial, professional or social.
 
As we’ve seen more than ever over the last years, unexpected hurdles can arise at any time, and from out of nowhere. Projects can fall off schedule, partners can disappear into thin air and your one-time supporters might head for the hills. 
 
When faced with challenges, it’s a normal reaction to want to give up. If the issues seem insurmountable, and it’s unclear exactly how you might get out of the hole you are in, I can almost guarantee that the thought of giving up will cross your mind. There are many reasons that entrepreneurs consider giving up. I worked with entrepreneurs who want to quit when things don’t turn out as planned or when things feel more complicated than they should. When they are scared, bored or burnt out. 
 
The good news is that you don’t have to wait for a crisis to occur to develop some skills around persistence and tenacity. If it’s inevitable that you will encounter some challenges as an entrepreneur, then now is time to plan for what you might do when that day comes.

Preparing for wanting to give up

If you have some tools for handling disappointments and challenges, you won’t feel so utterly shocked when they occur. Most of us already know that we do better with challenging situations when we have had some time to prepare.

Expectant parents go to birth education classes to become familiar with what will happen during delivery. Most of us wouldn’t go into a job interview without preparing some information or ideas we know we want to express.

Being prepared and having the confidence to tackle a challenge head-on and as it happens will increase your resilience and enable you to see your difficulties not as insurmountable obstacles but as problems to be solved.

Mitigating the risk of wanting to give up 

‘Giving up’ is a risk. And – just like any other risk in the workplace – your job is to minimise that risk from occurring.
 
You can help yourself prepare for problematic situations by brainstorming some of the risk possibilities for your business and then plotting out some strategies you could employ should those risks occur.
 
When designing a risk assessment for your business, you should spend as much time considering risk mitigation strategies as you do when outlining the risk of ‘giving up’.
 
If something does go pear-shaped and you feel panic starting to rise, you can be confident that you have a resource available that will more than likely have some good information for you about your options and a list of supporters you can call on for advice.

When you want to give up because you don’t see the payoff you expected

We all want to be the best at what we do, and it’s hugely motivating when you get some recognition or other signs that you are doing well. It can be really frustrating to invest so much of yourself into your business and then not get the payoff you were expecting, be it sales, followers, offers or compliments.
 
The best advice I can give on this is to try and focus on the doing rather than the outcome. Find your thrill and motivation from the experience of being an entrepreneur and the rest will likely fall into place. 

When you want to give up because it’s too hard

No one said life as an entrepreneur would be easy. It can involve long hours, cause strain on relationships and make you feel exposed and at risk financially. Your friends and family might be mentioning that you seem stressed, anxious, overworked or worn out.
 
Along with the tremendous joys and sense of achievement, stress and worry can be associated with being an entrepreneur. When things seem really hard, try to focus on what you love about your work and recognise that there is every chance this difficult phase will be over soon.

When you want to give up because you are bored

If you are like most entrepreneurs, the buzz of new challenges can be what keeps you going. If you find that you are becoming bored with your business and what you are doing, you might feel tempted to throw it all in and search out some new excitement.
 
But a bit of boredom can actually be a good thing- it can afford you some time to revisit your vision and do some creative thinking about where you are headed. Before you do pull the pin out of boredom, ask yourself if you have:

• learned all you can from this business, project or activity
• truly mastered all of tasks, elements or components
• exhausted every opportunity to evolve, grow or change the business in a new way

When you want to give up because you are scared

I sometimes meet entrepreneurs who have gone some of the way towards achieving their dreams and then had a moment of panic. It’s usually early on their entrepreneurial journey that they ask “What have I done?” or even worse they say “I can’t do this!”
 
Those worrying thoughts and the what-ifs can cause you to lose that courage and boldness you began with.
 
Fear can either paralyse a person or be a great motivator to act. The best thing to do is acknowledge the fear, look it in the face, and get on with doing your thing.

When you want to quit because you have lost sight of the vision

While many of us consider ourselves to be entrepreneurs because we have a singular goal or mission we are striving towards, it’s actually not all that uncommon for the vision to become less clear over time.
 
When you are working really hard to achieve something, it’s possible you haven’t noticed that have been some subtle shifts; in the market, in the product, in the environment or even in yourself.
 
If you don’t feel so sure about where you are heading, then review your vision and your strategy.

When you want to give up for no particular reason

Feeling like you want to give up doesn’t only just occur when there has been some kind of upset or crisis. For some entrepreneurs, the urge to give up just kind of sneaks its way in. You might have experienced several minor frustrations which are adding up to create a kind of discomfort inside. You might have niggling doubts about your approach and chosen course of action.
 
You might just be really tired and run down and not find the same thrill in your work anymore. These feelings are all completely normal, and can be even more challenging to deal with because although something doesn’t seem right, you might not be able to clearly articulate exactly how you are feeling.  Working with a peer, mentor or coach can really help in these cases. 

What to do before giving up

Before you pull the plug on your business altogether, is it possible you could just take some time out? Put a few management and contingency strategies in place and then remove yourself from the situation, even if only for a couple of days, though a fortnight or more is ideal. If you’ve experienced burnout or stress associated with your businesses, reset your mind and get back in the game.
 
Two weeks in the life of a business isn’t really a long time. If you can afford the time away, use it to focus on yourself. Eat well, get some exercise and make sure you get a good eight hours of sleep. Before you pull the pin absolutely, step away from the situation and see if some downtime enables you to view the situation a little differently. 

The benefits of not giving up

You can find a huge sense of satisfaction and pride from navigating through a tough situation and coming out stronger on the other side. Proving to ourselves that we can overcome can be profound.
 
Achieving something does feel all the more important when the getting there had you ready to give up. When you feel tempted to give up, but don’t, you will have achieved something many people can’t do. It shows a tenacity that others will notice and appreciate. 

Reframing the language about giving up

If you do decide it’s time to end your project or business, how you think about and describe the decision can have a big impact. It’s important not to punish yourself.
 
If you’ve made a clear and conscious decision to wind up your business, be careful with the language you use and how you frame this choice in your mind. You’re likely to feel like you have let yourself down if you tell yourself and others that you have “called it quits” or “given up” on your ideas.
 
Think about how you might describe your experience a little differently, and reframe the narrative in your mind. It might be that rather than quitting, you’ve decided to focus on a different goal or seek out a new opportunity.