Just quit already

Have you ever just wanted to give up? Have you ever just wanted to give up? Maybe you’re in a situation right now where you feel you’ve done everything you can, but the situation just isn’t improving. Maybe it’s a work problem... Maybe it’s a career goal... Maybe it’s a relationship... Whatever it is, you’re not making the progress you’re wanting and all the effort isn’t producing the outcome you’ve been working so hard for... And at times, that can be crippling. I know, because I’ve been there more times than I can count. At the same time, I can tell you that if it weren’t for me “pushing through” in these situations, I’d be living a pretty mediocre, underachieving, and overall rather unhappy life. Let’s talk about my career as an author. First, many people don’t know this, but I started my professional career as a high school health teacher. It was rewarding in many aspects, but I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do long term. My real passion was fitness and writing, and it was my “dream” to become a published fitness and nutrition author. The first 10 or so articles I wrote all got rejected by the magazines I submitted them to. So, I submitted them to other magazines, and they all got rejected again. I started my writing career with hundreds of rejections. Even now, having had thousands of articles published over the last decade, I’ve had countless more articles rejected than published. But I didn’t give up. Instead, I refined my writing, “practiced” relentlessly, and ultimately got my foot in the door of the magazine publishing industry. After a couple years of article writing, I wanted to write a book. I contacted about a dozen mid-level agents about my book idea, and they all turned the project down. I contacted about 100 more agents over the next few months, and they all said “no thanks”. In fact, it wasn’t until the very last agent I contacted (who just so happened to be one of the most prestigious agents in the book publishing industry that I thought I had zero chance of landing), that my project was accepted and we wound up selling the book to a major NYC publisher in 2 days. I quit my teaching job, and thought, “this is it!” This was my ticket to living the life I always wanted to live. I remember how excited I was. Then, the book flopped. Upon release, it didn’t do nearly the numbers I was hoping for, and my dreams of being a best-selling author with multiple books as a career was crumbling in front of me. At this point, it was either figure out plan B, or go back to teaching. That’s when I took up an interest in marketing and self-publishing. At the time, and this was roughly 10 years ago, I knew literally nothing about either. But I pushed through the disappointment, believed in myself, studied everything I could get my hands on, and got a real life in-the-trenches education. A year later, I self-published my first eBook and in 3 days sold 100xs more books than I did in over a year with my traditionally published print book. And then I went on to write 5 other digital best-sellers in the eBook marketplace. Today, my nutrition reports have been downloaded by more than 30 million people. I work from home, for myself, create my own schedule, and absolutely love what I do. And my “job”—scratch that, my passion—is able to support my wife and two beautiful daughters so that my wife can enjoy the blessing of being home with our children. Talk about freedom. But what if... What if I said “Ugh, this just isn’t meant to be” after the first 100 article rejections? What if I gave up when I seemingly couldn’t find an agent in the world who was interested in representing my book? What if I lost hope when my first book release tanked in comparison to expectations? What if I didn’t push through? What if I didn’t persevere? What if I GAVE UP? For one, you wouldn’t be reading this newsletter. I’d have missed the opportunity to have a positive impact on millions of people all over the world through my writing. I’d also have never met my wife, because we met only after my writing career allowed me to leave the bitter-cold northeast where I grew up and move to Florida. I wouldn’t have my two incredible daughters. Simply put, my life wouldn’t even remotely resemble the life I have now. And it all comes down to “the push”. Through the hard times, through the disappointments, through the seemingly hopeless situations. Lastly, let’s talk about marriage. Have there been times where I wanted to throw in the towel? Yes. Have there been times where I almost did, if it wasn’t for the better counsel of true friends and mentors who just wouldn’t allow me to be that dumb? Yes. But, by the grace of God, I didn’t. I chose more wisely than my feelings. And thank God I did, because I’m now enjoying a marriage that is honestly better than I ever thought it could be, to a wonderful, amazing woman that I’m incredibly fortunate to call my wife. And that all started with me. Me choosing to not give up, me making changes, me taking ownership, and me leading my family. The rest followed. Maybe you feel that your own marriage is too far gone and that you’re at the end of your rope. If that's you, let me give you this advice from experience: Hold on, surround yourself with the right people—people who will give you the “boost” you need to begin climbing back up—and make the right decisions where they count most. Work on you first, and the rest will follow. To close, nothing is too far gone. Nothing is too hopeless. One of the biggest cornerstones of my faith is the concept of surrender. What do we do when things aren’t working out the way we hoped? What do we do when no matter how hard we try, the situation just isn’t changing? What do we do when we just can’t seem to catch a break? Give up? Or give it up? 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares for you.” Give it up to God, and watch what happens. The disappointments? They often quickly turn to triumphs. Your lowest points? God will use them to raise you up higher than you ever imagined. The closed doors? God will open an even better one. I’m living proof of this truth, dozens of times over. There is peace, and ultimately freedom, in surrender. Today, I want to encourage you to press on. Fight where it counts. Don’t give up. Push forward. The greatest triumphs, the biggest breakthroughs, and the most fulfilling relationships? They’re always on the other side of the temptation to quit. In sincere friendship, Joel Let us not become weary in our efforts, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -Galatians 6:9 P.S. If you enjoyed this newsletter, you're going to love my top-ranked Born to Impact podcast even more... it's the deepest, most inspirational thing I have going (and it's 100% FREE). Each week we have an incredible conversation with an inspirational guest, and the content of these episodes is literally changing lives (just read any of the more than 2,000 5-star reviews on iTunes to see what I'm talking about). I guarantee that if you take a moment to give it a listen today, you will be so glad you did. You can [subscribe on iTunes here]( or on any major podcast app/platform. ------- Joel Marion Founder, Transformation Insider & Born to Impact  This email was sent to {EMAIL} by support@transformationinsider.com 500 Corporate Circle, STE G Golden, CO 80401 [1-Click Unsubscribe]( | [Edit Profile]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Report Spam](