A few years ago while I was sitting in an airport on my way to a speaking event, I listened to an endurance athlete being interviewed about his #1 tip for success in running and in life.
His answer was simple, but profound:
“When things get hard, slow down if you must, but don’t stop.”
He mentioned that what most people do at the first sign of discomfort, uncertainty, or fear is that they usually freeze and stop in their tracks.
Unfortunately, the pattern of consistently stopping when things get tough will eventually turn into a life-limiting habit that offers no short-term or long-term benefits whatsoever.
This may be a simple example, but pretty much every time I get onto the elliptical machine for my workout, I want to stop.
That whiny voice inside my head that says, “Sholaaaaaaaa, why are you doing this to yourself? Just turn off the elliptical and sit on the couch and watch some TV,” gets louder as my lungs start burning and my legs start shaking.
But the truth is that when things get super hard is the absolute worst time to quit.
Most meaningful goals are hard.
And if you are moving toward something meaningful—whether it’s reaching the finish line of a marathon, losing 40 pounds, graduating from college, completing your book, or finally launching your business—you will run into something along the way that will make you want to stop and quit.
As tempting as that may be, if it’s a goal that matters to you, don’t do it.
Simply slow down instead.
This week, if things are getting tough for you right now in pursuit of your goals, don’t let the circumstances convince you that you should stop.
Instead, get creative and figure out how you can still keep moving forward toward your goal, even if you’re crawling.
Remember, moving slowly is far better than choosing to stop. ❤️