The Day I Almost Gave Up: 7 Lessons That Kept Me Going

I Was One Google Search Away From Quitting Everything

It started with an email.

Not one of those passive-aggressive corporate ones. No. This was the kind that makes your stomach drop—like someone reached through the screen and yanked out the last bit of motivation you had left. The subject line? “We regret to inform you…”

You know it’s bad when you start crying before even opening the thing.

So there I was—mid-cry, still in pajama pants (the kind with coffee stains that might actually be from last week), sitting on the floor, Googling: “how to keep going when you feel like giving up.”

Yep. I actually typed that. And I meant it.

That day, I wasn’t just tired. I was bone-tired. Soul-tired. Nothing-was-working tired. Rejection email in hand, 37 open tabs on how to “build your dream life,” and not a single clean fork in the house.

And if I’m being fully honest? I almost gave up.

Not in a dramatic, novel-worthy way. Just in that quiet, heavy-sigh kind of way. The “maybe I’ll just stop trying” whisper that creeps in around 3 p.m. when you realize the only thing you’ve accomplished is doom-scrolling someone else’s glow-up reel on Instagram.

So yeah. I cracked.

And cried.

And then…something kind of weird happened.

I stood up. Made instant ramen. Called my best friend. Cried again. And somewhere in that ramen-slurping, soul-wringing moment—I didn’t quit. I didn’t magically feel better. But I did find some weird, messy form of fuel. Not motivation. More like…grit? Fury? Passive-aggressive determination?

Whatever it was, it kept me going.

And now I want to share it. Because if you’re here, chances are you’ve had your own almost-gave-up moment too. Maybe you’re having it right now. Maybe this is your “crying over a broken zipper” day. (Been there.)

So let’s talk about it.

Let’s get real about what it actually feels like to hit that emotional bottom—not the one with dramatic violins playing, but the one that smells like burnt toast and feels like apathy.

This post isn’t a pep talk. It’s a survival guide. A collection of 7 raw, ridiculous, painfully honest lessons I had to learn the hard way.

Because life gets messy. Dreams get heavy. And sometimes the strongest thing you’ll do all day is simply not give up.

So if you’re wondering how to keep going when you feel like giving up—here’s what helped me crawl out of the hole. Spoiler: it wasn’t meditation or “positive vibes only.” (Insert eye roll.)

Let’s dive into it.

1. I Cried Over a Cracked Mug — Then Realized It Wasn’t About the Mug

It was chipped. Not dramatically. Just enough that when I picked it up, the handle crumbled in my hand—and so did my composure.

Cue: meltdown over ceramic.

But here’s the thing. It wasn’t just the mug. It was everything. The job rejection. The ghosted pitch. The looming rent. The dream that felt like it had expired.

That moment taught me something painfully simple: we often break over small things because we’ve been holding in the big ones.

When you’re in survival mode, cracked mugs feel like betrayal. But it’s okay. Crying is not weakness. It’s your body finally letting go of what your brain’s been white-knuckling for weeks.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is sob on the kitchen floor and still get up the next day.

2. You Don’t Need to Be Inspired—You Just Need to Move

You know what’s worse than burnout?

Scrolling motivational Instagram quotes while burnt out.

“Keep going, queen” is cute until you haven’t showered in 3 days and your inbox has turned into a digital landfill. At one point, I was waiting to feel like getting back on track. Spoiler: I never did.

But here’s what I learned: action doesn’t always follow inspiration. Sometimes, it works the other way around. Sometimes you wash a dish or write one sentence or go on a walk—not because you’re pumped, but because you literally can’t keep rotting on your couch.

That tiny step is movement. And movement builds momentum. Even when your brain’s screaming, “Why bother?”

So yeah, start small. Petty-small. “Put socks on” small. That counts. And it might just crack open something bigger.

3. How to Keep Going When You Feel Like Giving Up? Get Bored Before You Quit

There’s a difference between tired and done. I was confusing the two constantly.

Turns out, when I gave myself permission to not chase the dream for a week—no pitches, no plans, just existing—I didn’t fall apart. I got bored. And that boredom led to curiosity, which slowly nudged me back to the work I once loved.

Sometimes the pressure to keep hustling is what’s draining the joy.

If you’re struggling to know how to keep going when you feel like giving up, try this: give yourself a pause long enough to miss the thing. Let rest be productive. It can be the best clarity tool you didn’t know you needed.

4. My Failure Wasn’t the End—It Was the Edit

You know when you rewatch a movie and suddenly notice all the weird plot holes? That was my dream plan in hindsight.

The “failure” I thought would ruin me? It rerouted me. At first I thought I was being punished. But over time, I realized the plan I had wasn’t wrong—it just needed editing.

We glorify success stories, but we rarely talk about the detours. The “oh crap, this isn’t working” moments. The quietly deleted projects. The ego-bruising pivots.

But personal growth after failure? That’s the good stuff. That’s where the grit lives. That’s where you learn what actually matters to you—not just what sounds impressive on LinkedIn.

Your failures don’t define you. But they do refine you.

5. “What If This Sucks Forever?” Isn’t a Sign to Quit—It’s a Sign You Care

This thought haunted me for months: What if nothing changes? What if I keep trying and it never works?

And honestly? I still don’t have an answer. But that question—the fear of long-haul failure—usually means you actually give a damn. If you were indifferent, you wouldn’t spiral. You’d just quit and move on.

But you care. That’s what’s making it so hard. And also so worthwhile.

Strength through struggle doesn’t mean bulldozing through the pain. Sometimes it means letting yourself feel stuck without self-shaming. Letting it suck, but still staying in the game.

You can be scared, cynical, and still not give up.

Why This Really Matters

Look, I wish I could tell you there’s a magic trick for surviving your “almost gave up” day. Like, eat a banana, chant a mantra, light a candle—and boom, resilience unlocked.

But no. That’s not how this works.

What is real? The quiet, gritty, not-at-all-cute kind of strength you build when no one’s clapping. When the progress is invisible. When all you have is the next messy step forward.

That’s emotional resilience. Not pretending you’re fine, but deciding to keep showing up anyway.

This matters because one day, you’re going to look back and realize: that wasn’t your breaking point. It was your building point. The day you almost gave up became the day you learned how to stay.

And that version of you? The one who kept going? She’s a badass.

Conclusion: You Don’t Need a Comeback—You Just Need to Breathe

Remember when I said I Googled how to keep going when you feel like giving up?

Yeah. That wasn’t a turning point. It was a Tuesday.

There was no cinematic music. No “and then it all changed” moment. Just a slow, awkward wobble toward something better.

And maybe that’s the point.

If you’re in that place—pajama pants, tear-streaked, wondering if any of this even matters—I want you to hear this:

You’re allowed to pause. You’re allowed to cry. You’re allowed to want to quit. But you don’t have to.

Not today.

You are not weak for struggling. You are not behind. And no, you don’t need to reinvent your entire life by next Thursday.

Sometimes surviving the day is the win.

So go ahead—take a break, eat the damn cookie, call your weird cousin, stare at the ceiling. Then come back to this life you’re building. One stubborn, beautiful, gritty step at a time.