Quitting is NOT an Option! by Troy Bassham

This article was posted in our September issue of MENTALCOACH (free email newsletter)

Quitting is NOT an Option!

During the last eighteen months we have had more clients contemplate quitting than we have ever seen before. Most are concerned about the economy and are not sure if they can continue toward their goals. This brings us to an interesting crossroads, should I continue or should I quit?

We have a saying at Mental Management Systems, you either get your goal or you trade up. Many of our clients have had to make tough decisions about trading in their dream for something more important or pushing through to obtain their goal. Neither is right or wrong, but giving up is not option. Things just don't happen by chance, they happen to test you. The test is a simple one, it's a question of whether you are on the right track or not.

If you're in a position to quit, ask yourself first what you should be learning from this experience. In many cases you have to go through tough situations in order to achieve the accomplishments you strive for. The next question is "Is the prize worth the price?" If not, you most likely have a more important goal to trade up to, if the answer is yes than you must ask yourself if you are on the right track. If you're on the right track, then look at where you are at on that track. U.S. humorist and showman Will Rogers once said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." It's not good enough to have the goal and plan in place, one must also stay the course with great enthusiasm and commitment. An example of this is Karoly Takacs.

Karoly Takacs was member of the Hungarian national pistol team in 1938 at 29 years of age. He was an active army sergeant and one of the top rapid fire pistol shooters in the world, until tragedy struck. On a training mission, a defective hand grenade exploded in his shooting (right) hand that shattered it completely. He spent a month in the hospital recovering and his dreams of competing in the 1940 Olympics were gone. While others would have quit, Karoly had a different approach. He secretly taught himself how to shoot left handed. At the national championships in 1939 shooters came to him to give him their condolences and to thank him for having the strength to come watch them compete. Imagine the surprise when he replied, "I didn't come to watch, I came to compete." Karoly, not only competed, he won the national championships.

The dream of competing in the Olympics would come to an end again in 1940 and 1944, due to the cancellation of the games during World War II. Ten years after the accident, Takacs made the Olympic team at the 1948 Olympics in London. Before the competition, world champion and world record holder, Carlos Saenz Valiente, asked Takacs why he was in London. Takacs replied, "I'm here to learn." Takacs would win the rapid fire event and set a new Olympic record, beating Valiente by nine points. During the medal ceremony, Valiente, who finished second, looked up to Takacs and said, "You have learned enough." Four years later Takacs defends his Olympic title, becoming the first repeat winner of this event.

Whether you move forward with your goal, or you trade up for another goal, remember that you must stay focused and move toward that goal with great motivation if you want to be successful.

Written By: Mental Coach Troy Bassham