If not giving up was always the right answer life would be so easy. History shows us that sometimes quitters prosper and sometimes they miss out. Knowing when to quit and when to keep going is one of the most difficult questions and so we asked folks we admire to tell us how they think through this question.

April Martinez | Wedding & Portrait Photographer

The phrase, “to give up,” has such a negative connotation to it. Society makes us believe that when we give up, we are weak. But it is okay (and sometimes even necessary) to give up on the things/people that no longer serve us. Even if you have invested a lot of time and energy into something, it’s okay to give up…. or better yet move on…. if it doesn’t make you happy or keeps you from reaching your full potential. All that matters is that you never give up on yourself, your dreams & what makes you truly happy. Read more>>

Caroline Slaughter | Fly Fishing Guide

This isn’t as easy a question as it may seem. You may feel as though you’ve tried everything, and things still aren’t working. What happens though when you give up? If you give up, essentially you lose everything you’ve been working towards. You start over. My answer may seem simple, but it’s that you keep going. Life gets tough at times, and believe me I have definitely thought about giving up on my dreams or career path and settling for something else. For some it’s more difficult than others, but everything is about perspective. Of course, there are certain aspects of life we cannot always change or avoid. Some of these will hold us back no matter what we do. Ultimately, if it’s something that you are passionate enough about then you try everything you can, every avenue, every path to keep going towards that goal. You might not know what that goal is, or it may turn out differently than expected, but it will be so worth it when that happens. Read more>>

Abby Tardiff | Banking Relationship Manager, VP

I’m definitely not one to give up easily, or at all for that matter. But, there are situations where it’s necessary, and most of the time, the opportunity will either arise again in another way or it is just a sign that it wasn’t the path for you at this time. I love this question because it can lead to or relate to so many circumstances, big or small. Here’s what I mean: on a smaller scale, and looking at it from a business-sense, I could be going after a good prospect, trying to earn their business. We could have great initial conversations where I think to myself, “Awesome, this is a slam dunk. I’m going to win this relationship” and then no matter how much I follow up, I never hear back. I’m persistent (or pesky, if you want to look at it a bit more negatively, but I like persistent better). So, it takes a lot for me to finally back down and admit defeat, but sometimes it’s necessary. Read more>>