Just Don't Quit

2-Minute Read

The most important factor for success is the decision to continue.

It simply doesn’t matter whether you get everything right on the 1st try, your 10th try, or your 100th try—it’s about staying in the game long enough to get to your goal. Failure can only happen when you stop trying, and as long as you do not quit, you cannot fail.

Failure is Only the Result of Quitting

Let’s start with an example: say you knew someone who really wanted to run a 100 miler. They’ve been training for years and years, and have put in a ton of work. And eventually, they finally cross that finish line… do you think of them as a failure? Of course not. Are you only thinking about how long it took them to prepare or how many attempts they had over the years? Also no. The only thing that matters is that they did it.

If you measure success on a time horizon that is too short, it is easy to feel like a failure. Every missed attempt at your goal will feel like failure if you’re too focused on the short term. But if you’re measuring your success over a long period of time, you will achieve your goal - it’s just a matter of when. And that success will be the only thing that matters.

The only thing you can’t do, is quit. Quitting removes all your future attempts, and then, it doesn’t matter what time horizon you measure on. 

The Importance of Persistence

Persistence is the act of continuing despite difficulties, and it is the most crucial factor in achieving any goal. It’s the ability to get up and try again, learning from each experience. The more attempts you make, the more you learn, and the more prepared you become for the next challenge.

In running, for example, you may struggle to hit your target pace or face physical challenges that make progress difficult. But each time you get back out there, you’re building your endurance and your ability to push through those struggles. The key is to focus on the progress rather than the immediate result. Success comes not from getting everything perfect the first time, but from having the persistence to keep trying until it does.

Success comes from Grit, Not Perfection

Rather than focusing solely on the outcome, learning to push through struggle, never quit, and adjusting with every attempt you make is where success comes from. The more you persist, the more you improve. The more you try, the closer you get to your goal. It doesn’t matter how many attempts it takes. The only thing that matters is that you continue to try. Your success becomes inevitable. Do the work others are not willing to, and keep going.

Wrap It Up

The key to success is simple: keep trying. As long as you’re still making an effort, you haven’t failed. You’re just working toward the next step. The only way to fail is to quit, and as long as you commit to never quitting, success is inevitable.

And with this mindset, we can build a routine we love and train consistently. Because with consistency, we build passion.