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Nothing worth having comes easily. You’ve heard that before. But do you ever have those moments when you’re pursuing your career goals and you wonder, “But is it worth this?” “This” being the total exhaustion. The constant rejection. The setbacks that feel insurmountable, like that one person who was going to get you an interview at their company but then they got let go. Or that investor who was going to funnel money into your business but had some financially catastrophic event that made them pull out. The huge publication that was going to run a story on you, but then, a major news event swooped that slot, and your story never ran. Maybe you got so close to being a finalist or a winner of some competition, and at the last minute, you had a personal crisis that made you have to pull out.
Almost anyone with goals and ambition has had these huge letdowns. The moment you care about something, letdowns are just part of the process. But feeling like you want to give up isn’t a sign that you should. You can be certain anyone you admire who achieved great things felt like giving up a thousand times. Imagine if they had. They wouldn’t be who they are today. Of course, that reality doesn’t make those moments when you want to give up any easier. We collected quotes from Black career coaches, business strategists, and motivational speakers that you can look at when you want to give up on your career goals.
The only thing that matters is now
This quote comes from Lisa Nichols. Nichols is the founder of Motivating the Masses and CEO of Motivating the Teen Spirit, LLC and one of the most-requested professional speakers. When you have moments in which you’re dwelling on your past – on the mistakes you’ve made and the wrong turns you took – this quote reminds you that that is just that. The past. You don’t need to let that define who you can be tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be a mark of shame you carry with you. Release it.
