Why do we give up so easily ? (Part Two)

It’s clear that over the years we change, have different needs, develop new outlooks and with experience, accumulate much more wisdom too. We eventually learn to cope and deal differently with obstacles, impatience, unfamiliarity and a wide variety of pains or ordeals. We also learn that no situation is ever similar. 

We first do things for reasons that are not always important and valid and often this pushes us into dead ends that we couldn’t have imagined because we lacked imagination and a broader life experience. This observations lead to three particularly interesting reflections. First is all about persistence versus stubbornness. 

Knowing when to persevere and when to change direction is difficult to establish and to perceive. Giving up is not always a failure; sometimes it’s also how we acquire the wisdom that will light our path down the road. Then, there’s the undeniable role of accumulated experience as every time we overcome a difficult situation, we add to our personal database while building a little more confidence in our ability to face the next important decision along with its own challenges. 

To conclude, there’s the advantage of getting older and becoming increasingly more resourceful. It could be that one of the unexpected gifts of aging is that we become less frightened by temporary discomfort because we’ve seen enough of life to know that difficult periods don’t last forever and usually pass or become much more bearable. 

Finally, there is an idea that I think fits perfectly with my broader reflections on aging, curiosity and continuous self-improvement. Perhaps the real measure of personal growth isn't how many times we refuse to give up, but how much better we become at understanding when to hold on, when to let go, and when to start again. 

That intuitive flexibility is to me the real gem revealed as we discuss this subjet. It turns an essay about past indecision into something much more empowering: the possibility that we can keep learning how to persevere and get excellent at it, regardless of how many years we have already spent on this planet.