I recently wrote down something Michael Hyatt said and with which I absolutely agree: “There is no failure unless I quit.” I’ve written on this topic several times, including an article just a few months ago titled The True Definition of Failure, but I believe in this concept so strongly that I can’t help but revisit it, particularly as we begin a new year.
There really is no failure unless you quit. While you can’t control what life throws at you, you can determine your response. In life’s many battles, your attitude is the most powerful weapon you wield. You can respond to opposition and setbacks with a spirit of defeat and hopelessness, or you can respond with fierce determination and resolve. You can choose to feel sorry for yourself and accept defeat, or you can get up, dust yourself off, and try again.
There is no failure unless you quit. History is full of examples of men and women who experienced bitter setbacks, but refused to quit. They overcame the odds and went on to achieve greater success than they had ever imagined.
- Abraham Lincoln failed in business and politics many times before he was elected as the 16th President of the United States
- Thomas Edison is said to have made thousands of unsuccessful attempts before inventing the light bulb
- Despite the doubts of his music teachers when he was young and then the loss of his hearing later in life, Ludwig van Beethoven became one of the greatest composers of all time
- Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team and missed more than 9,000 shots in his career, yet he is considered one of the greatest professional basketball players to have ever played.
These and countless others have experienced great success, but only because they refused to quit. The same will be true for you!
If you are looking for or interested in a superb, life-changing motto, theme and philosophy to live out in 2013, you just found it!
“There is no failure unless I quit!”
Question: Can you think of a time that could have been viewed as failure in your life, but instead you met with success because you refused to quit? Share in the comments below!
