“Giving up is never an option,” something my parents used to say to me, but not so much anymore. Maybe it’s because they’ve give up themselves, or maybe because they’ve realized that sometimes giving up is the easier option. I’ve come to understand this concept more as I get older. Going through high school, having this constant thought in the back of my mind that maybe one day it will all be worth it, but what if it’s not. What if all of this hard work and time I’m dedicating to this whirlwind of stress and pressure that we call school, isn’t even worth it. The more I think about it, the more I begin to wonder, would deciding to give up really be that bad? Sure, I have decent grades and maybe some sort of “future” in sports, but really when you think about it, so do a lot of kids my age. I begin to find myself thinking, Is this one homework assignment really going to affect my grade? Is this one C really going to bring down my GPA? Is missing one practice really going to change my skills and/or playing time? But as time goes on these thoughts get louder and louder and I start to give in to them more and more as the days pass. I soon find myself with no motivation, and to be quite honest, no time. But to give up cannot be an option and I shouldn’t let the mere thought of it run through my mind as much as it does.

Giving up.

Just thinking of it both relieves me and pressures me. My little sisters who love and look up to me, what kind of example would I be to them if i just gave up? My parents who want to see me thrive and accomplish more than they did, what kind of daughter would I be to disappoint them? My teachers who have always tried their hardest, some more than others, to help me succeed and reach my goals, what kind of student would I be to let them down? My little brother who is only a year younger than me but is my best friend and my number one fan, what kind of sister would I be to show him that it’s okay to give up when times get tough or when things aren’t going our way and we feel we can’t handle it anymore.

Giving up.

How difficult can things really get for people to think that giving up is the best option? I find it funny how the people who raised me, taught me wrong from right, gave me an example to follow and rules to live by, told me that giving up is never an option, were the ones to give up themselves. Yes, they have their reasons and they say it was “for the better,” and that may have worked when I was a child. But now that I’m growing up and I understand maybe not everything, but definitely much more than I used to, I know that was not a good enough excuse. To give up on something is one thing, but to give up on someone is another.

Giving up.

I’m not saying I’ve never given up, because that would be a lie. I’ve given up on plenty of things, games, homework, tests, people who probably didn’t deserve it. It’s something we all do, and something most of us definitely aren’t proud of, but we believe it’s for the better so we do it and we feel good about it for the time being. It relieves so much stress and makes life seem so much easier, when in reality as time passes on, it only makes things worse.

“Giving up is never an option,” something my parents used to tell me but never actually listened to themselves. Something that has so much more meaning than the typical person would believe. Something that should motivate you but never really does. Something that more people in this world should believe in. Something that I believe in for the sake of my peers and of myself.

Never giving up.