What do you do when you're ready to give up?

No one’s life is perfect, and in fact most lives are riddled with problems.  Some of these problems have external forces that cause them and some of the problems we bring on ourselves.  Have you ever just been so overwhelmed you wanted to throw your hands up and give up?  What do you do?

These are great questions because most don’t have a strategy or strategies to deal with the overwhelm of problems that life inevitably throws your way.  One thing is for sure, whenever you hear someone tell you not to give up, and then give you any number of redundant quotes as to why, it really does nothing to help you.  

Come on, you know those quotes, and may even be guilty of using them yourself - the night is darkest just before the dawn, you only have to get up one more time, when one door closes another one opens, or success lays just one step beyond your failure.  While these may all be true, they presuppose you have the emotional game plan to keep pushing.

So what can you do?  Is there an emotional game plan or strategy to help you persist through what feels like overwhelming pain at times?  Absolutely!  Here are 5 steps you can take to keep causing yourself to push forward and feel a whole lot less pain:

1. Get yourself into a powerful, centered physical state.  Standup tall, shoulders back, head held high, feet shoulder width apart, engage your core, and put a grin on your face that says nothing can stop me.
   
2. Ask yourself a series of questions.  Who loves me and who do I love, what am I really excited about in life, what is my greatest passion, and what and whom am I truly grateful for?
   
3. Make a list of every obstacle, challenge and crisis you’ve ever overcome, no matter how small they may seem.
   
4. Go for a very brisk walk or run for a few blocks.  The exercise will stimulate endorphins, and they'll make you happy and centered.
   
5. Seek out and associate with upbeat, happy and successful people.  They will, simply by proximity, make you feel better and cause you to raise your emotional standards.  This may also mean adjusting your peer group.
   

Problems are a sign of life and success.  They are inevitable, and no matter what you may think, life will always present obstacles. Following these five steps is part one.  Part two is realizing that someone has already overcome what you’re facing.  Find them, and pick their brain as too how they overcame your problems and challenges.

When you’re ready to give up, breathe and follow the five steps.  You’re not alone, and yes, your success is just in front of you.  It’s time to open your eyes see it, and go get it.