Fighting The Fighting The Urge to Quit… Urge to Quit…

For many of us, the beginning of the year presents us with an opportunity to review the current state of our personal affairs, reconsider our life choices, commit to new goals, start afresh and put some work in, to reach the destination we desire.

I recently reflected on the fact that we are just over the first quarter of the year, and my thoughts quickly drew me to the fact that there are some matters that I thought by now I would have managed to improve or achieve in my life.

Despite all the efforts I have implored, I have realized that in some areas of my life I have come to a point where I experienced resistance – where I’ve gotten into a place where seems like there is just a force that stops me from progressing

The reality is that it is the nature of life itself that no matter how much planning we can do life will bring us to a point where we experience constant roadblocks – a feeling whereby no matter how much effort we put in, somehow, we feel exhausted and defeated.

One thing that is fairly common in human nature when we are faced with resistance, we sometimes feel the urge to quit. Although it is a normal human reactive response, it does not mean that we should entertain the urge to quit

The truth is if we do not quit, we draw ourselves closer to a place of more opportunities, joy, abundance, peace and fulfilment of our dreams. This reflective moment made me look deeper within and review alternate ways or options as such:

1. Decide that you are going to stay on course; when the going gets tough you’re allowed to pause, reflect, rest, get back up and keep going. Like a toddler who is still learning to walk, they fall, and get bruised but they insist, they get up again until they can walk and find their feet.

2. Check for Self-sabotaging behaviours: these actions which we do or don’t to ourselves that potentially block us from making progress or changes we desire in life. It could simply be that we are failing to prioritize, to plan and follow through

3. Allow yourself to Fail Well – When you allow yourself to fail well, this is when you acknowledge that you have not succeeded in something which you had planned to achieve. Failing well means that you are not making excuses but you’re opening yourself to deeply feel all the emotions that come with that disappointment; as you allow these emotions to run their course, you bring yourself into a new world of thinking differently and exploring some of the contributing factors that could have caused you to fail

4. Have a Sense of Resilience; Understand that resistance is not going to break you but it is presenting you with an opportunity to bounce back, realize that you have the capacity to break barriers and fight towards reaching greater heights. Adopt a strong sense of belief in yourself and your capabilities as you manifest the life you desire.

5. Build Momentum – I found that during the period of resistance, we are challenged to think more, our thought patterns are strengthened and as we rise we are no longer the same but a better version of who we need to be Do not shy away from the right principles you have set for your life.

I would like to leave you with these words of encouragement by one of my favourite authors, whose words have had a major impact on my critical thinking. She says that when we face resistance, we have to continuously speak to ourselves positively and not succumb to negativity that could be surrounding us -

About the author:

Zakithi G Shezi is a Social Worker in Private Practice; Child and Family Consultant and Inspirational Speaker Her private practice is based in Richards Bay, KZN Zakithi has extensive professional experience working with children, teens, adults couples, families and groups.

The practice offers professional services such as Trauma Counselling; Grief/ Bereavement Counselling, Anger management, Life Adjustment Issues, Anxiety, Depression & Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Substance Abuse , Marital Counselling, Parental Guidance, Divorce Counselling, Workplace Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Sessions. Mediation for Parenting Plans, Investigations on matters involving children and Professional Report services for the Courts.

0837278571 mahlatiz@gmail.com

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