I am Giving Up

I am giving up. There’s too much to do. The path that I have chosen seems too long, so tiring, so overwhelming.

But is it boring?

No, in fact, it is not.

It is quite interesting in fact. I just came back from Karachi, flew Business Class, stayed in a 5-star hotel. I was invited to Pakistan’s first Social Media Summit and it went great. Met some truly awesome people, had a great time, and even got offered to write for a few prominent media outlets.

And oh yeah, I am leaving for Thailand in 10 days’ time, God willing. I am able to afford all of the above partly because of my online earnings.

My offline projects are coming along as well, by God’s Grace. The dairy farming section of this blog is proof that I can mix my offline activities with social media (such as blogging). My target for November 2011 is a big one and quite challenging, but I think I can do it, God willing. That is exciting stuff. I will be able to help a lot of people, and make money in the process. All transparent and all very inspiring. God has been very, very kind.

But you were saying you want to give it all up? Seriously?

…

For what?

Wait, I am trying to think.

If you yourself just wait, then that would qualify as being patient. And that is what you really need right now, patience.

***

The above dialog is not fiction. I just had that dialog with myself. I share this with you.

Giving up is easy. And it is very common. Many people would tell you – including tons of ‘self help’ books – that people give up because of the fear of failure. No.

The number one reason for giving up is the lack of patience.

Things take time. And you need to keep at it during that time. This, I assure you, is not easy.

It is the internal dialogue that gets to you. Causes you to rethink and eventually give in. And as everything starts from the mind – nothing more than a neuron firing – your work starts to suffer and you wrap up whatever you had built.

As I went on with the communication, I realized that the path that I have chosen, that of being a self-employed blogger entrepreneur (I still have to come with an apt title for myself though), is unique. I find it hard to find like-minded people. People who are doing varied, different things. True starters. I find comfort in reading Chris Gullebeau not only because his writings are inspiring, but because I can relate to his state of mind and his state of work. Somewhat.

Giving up, in that sense, does not come up as an option. I would give up, but give it up for what? This is what I do. I am a professional blogger, a published writer, a dairy farmer, an agriculturist, a presenter, a designer, an internet marketer, a salesman and a project manager – usually on the same day. This is too interesting, too enticing, too enriching and too rewarding to just give up on.

I feel like giving up because I am not as organized as I should could be. I feel like giving up because I know I can do better in all fields if I tweak one or two things within me. I feel like giving up when I get tired, when my work starts to actually feel like work, when I lose track of the bigger picture.

But patience, along with her best friend “time”, has a curious habit of leveling out your undulating feelings and rationale, and gently, almost imperceptibly, taking you to the next level.

Perseverance commands success, no matter how you define success.