I give up

It happens to all of us, we hit some roadblock or challenge in our lives, and we try and push through it but it seems not matter what we try, the situation persists. I hit one of these just the other day. The urge to give up entered into my mind and stayed there. I felt defeated, frustrated, emotionally exhausted, and all together hopeless.

In the grand scheme of things, my problem was not on par with the issues that really impact people’s lives. Challenges about putting food on the table, having enough money to pay bills, the feeling of not having your love returned, being bullied or ostracized because you’re different or choose to take a stand that’s unpopular are the types of things that too often have us wanting to give up.

As I mentally process my own challenge and equate it to these types, my desperation slowly starts to fade. This is part of the process of how I deal with wanting to give up. Over the years, I’ve found that this simple and somewhat cliché step of considering problems larger then my own, helps. More profoundly I’ve discovered something even greater; something that helps when I feel that all hope is lost, when giving up seems to be the only option. It seems strange but that’s when you need to give of yourself.

If you consider yourself spiritual, and I do, giving yourself the opportunity to hear the larger message for your purpose in the world can lead to insightful ways to respond to challenges. I fervently know that we are all here for a purpose and to be clear this means YOU too. The challenges you face, even when they seem hopeless, are not.

Whether you’re spiritual or not, simply placing yourself in the midst of others in need, regardless of the nature of their need, and giving of yourself to help them in some way will replace your desperation with a fulfillment that is repeatingly astonishing. Giving of yourself need not be some grandiose act. It can take the simple form of openly listening to or assisting in someone else’s trials and truly being empathetic; helping a stranger that is being bullied or pushed aside, providing a meal for a person who is strapped for cash, or anything else that truly speaks to you. The key is giving yourself completely to some other cause or person. Forcing your problems, for the time being, to have no room in your mind, body, or spirit because you are completely and fully committed to something else for the moment.

This moment, this complete giving of yourself for a period of time; does not make your own problems go away. What it does do is move them aside for a time; allowing you, through the process of giving of yourself, to gain strength so you can confront things with a renewed vitality and hope. In short, don’t give up; give yourself up, because we all need you!