Never Give Up: The Art of Pushing Through When You Feel Like Giving Up with Alissa Zimmerman
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This time of year has represented an incredible struggle for me for as long as I can remember. The days are shorter, the temperature is colder, motivation is often nonexistent and hibernation mode is on full power. This is the time of year when you’re stuck behind a computer screen day in and day out instead of being outside on photo shoots. It’s mentally exhausting, and very easy to let yourself fall into a funk.
This dark time of year, it’s easy to want to give up. Here are some tips to help you push through the mundane days spent in front of your computer when you feel like throwing your hands in the air.
Take Time to Understand Yourself
Losing perspective is usually the catalyst for the seemingly never-ending thoughts of, “I can’t do this anymore.” That lack of perspective is an interesting beast to learn to control. Learning to control your mind and negative thoughts is one of the most powerful things you can do as you grow within your business.
The most valuable skill I have learned in business is the ability to acknowledge when I am in a dark place and talk myself back into the right perspective. That doesn’t mean things don’t get tough for me on a regular basis. That doesn’t mean I don’t still struggle with perspective. It just means I have trained myself to become more self-aware, and to understand that in these dark times, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s all about whether you choose to see it.
Remember Your ‘Why’
Think about why you started down the path you’re on. Reflect on the decisions and sacrifices you have made over the course of your journey to get you to where you are. Why do you continue to fight for your business every day? Why do you wake up every morning and hustle until you close your eyes at night?
For me, it’s the satisfaction of knowing that I am an integral part of building something bigger than myself. I am a 29-year-old successful woman working my ass off every day to build a career and a life for myself. It’s about waking up in the morning, going into the studio and having the luxury of creating with my closest friends, people I consider family. No longer do I dread the thought of having to go to work every morning. It is something I fight for every day because I never want to take these opportunities for granted or lose sight of the fortunate life I have worked so hard to build.
There is freedom that comes with reflecting on your “why” anytime you’re feeling disconnected. Write your why’s down and keep them in an easy-to-access place for the times in life when you need some clarity.
Set Daily Goals
When you feel yourself getting overwhelmed with work and your personal life, make a short, realistic list of tasks to accomplish each day. This can lighten the weight on your shoulders.
I keep a master task list that I pull from to create my daily to-do list. During those times when I feel the weight of the world on my back, it’s difficult to focus. My master list only perpetuates the situation. So in this scenario, I start fresh with a piece of paper (there’s something therapeutic about handwriting tasks when I feel I’m in over my head). Write down everything that needs to get done in the upcoming seven-day window, no matter how mindless or strategic that task may be. Go through that list and decide which, if any, tasks can be delegated. Determine the urgency for each task that is still on your list. Assign tasks to each day of the upcoming week, along with an estimated length of time per task. That gives you an idea of how many hours of work are needed from you per day.
This allows me to get a grasp on what’s overwhelming me. It could be as simple as a client order that is late and keeps getting pushed back on your to-do list. Until you lay everything out, you won’t be able to put together a plan of attack to get over the mountain of stress you’ve created for yourself.
Reach Out to People Around You
It’s easy to let yourself spiral out of control when you feel like you’re stuck in a dark place. The worst thing you can do at this time is isolate yourself from your team, family or friends. Whenever you feel like giving up, there is always someone in your life who has been in a similar situation and can relate.
I find it beneficial to have my “person”—that one friend I know I can reach out to when I need advice or simply just need to get something off my chest. Sometimes all I need is a quick venting session—10 minutes to spill everything that’s bothering me, and my person simply listens and doesn’t give any advice unless I ask for it. Be careful with this person in your life, however, as these types of relationships can start out with healthy venting sessions and lead to negative complaining and cancerous mindsets and/or behaviors. It’s important for that person to be your voice of reason when you’re going down a wrong path in your thoughts.
Cut Out the Cancer
The phrase misery loves company could not be more accurate. Surrounding yourself with cancerous people only leads to you giving up on yourself. A sense of entitlement can form over time as you spend your days whining about your problems without ever coming to any kind of solution. You will find yourself quitting, which you will justify with any excuse you can come up with. All because you’ve surrounded yourself with people who have positioned themselves as your support team when, in reality, they are just negative influences looking to bring down everyone else around them and form a union of misery.
It’s just not worth it. Cut the cancer out of your life as soon as you feel it creeping up on you (you will know when it’s happening if you follow your instincts).
Switch Up Your Routine
At work, if I do the same thing over and over day in and day out, I get bored. This boredom leads to restlessness, and the restlessness leads to a feeling of claustrophobia. That causes me to panic, and any stress in my life is multiplied tenfold. I get to a point where I just don’t want to do anything anymore, and would rather give up. Call it burning out.
Don’t go down that road. Switch up your daily routine. For a while, I was opening my laptop and checking email the second after opening my eyes in the morning. I made the small change of waking up and getting ready for the day right away, not checking email until I get into the studio. This made a huge impact on my daily routine. I found that I wasn’t getting as stressed out at the beginning of my day.
Take a Step Back
Many entrepreneurs believe they have to work seven days a week, 20 hours a day to be successful. Sal will probably kill me for saying this, but sometimes, you just need to take a step back and reevaluate where you want to target your efforts.
The work will always be there, I promise. Your health and peace of mind will not, however. So if taking off a day, a week or even a month is what you need to get yourself back on track, make sure all your ducks are in a row and tap out.
Once you’ve reached the point where you still feel like giving up and none of these tips seems to be working, take a day off and take a deep breath. Everything will be okay once you get your mind right.
Want more information on this article? Get access to video content and additional supporting images. Launch the January issue of the magazine by logging in or signing up for a free account by clicking here. Shutter Magazine is the industry’s leading professional photography magazine.
