Step 9: Don’t Give Up

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished
by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
—Dale Carnegie

The 9th and final step in “Stress Pandemic: The Lifestyle Solution” is called “Don’t Give Up.” As long as you have a desire to live fully and be free of stress, you have all the power you need. The most important advice I can leave you with is to nurture and have faith in a strengthened sense of both hope and commitment. As long as you have a desire to live fully and be free of stress, you have all the power you need. And now you also have the tools. The Nine Natural Steps enabled me to break free of the accumulated, unchecked stress that led to my nervous breakdown and the resulting stress of living with a severe mind condition. The Nine Natural Steps enabled me to live with contentment and love for life.

Remember change takes time. Breaking habits and forming new ones is not easy, and we all stumble as we begin the process of change. Take on only as much as you can handle, and don’t get discouraged if you experience setbacks. The process of change requires work. It is not enough to merely read my advice and anecdotes and expect to suddenly change. You also have to practice what you read, and this requires time and effort. Change takes time and requires motivation, desire, ambition, perseverance and dedication. The desire to change, build new habits and improve must be strong enough to resist any laziness, the ridicule or opposition from family, friends or colleagues and the desire to give up.

Don’t Give Up: Following are a few central tips to keep you striving toward a healthier, stronger you:
Remember that you have the power to move forward in your life.
Allow yourself time to break habits and form new ones.
Understand that it is natural to stumble; the courage is in getting back up.
Continue to pursue your application of the nine steps until you reach a thirty-day period of uninterrupted practice of the steps.
Nurture your flame of hope and maintain your commitment, regardless of the challengers you encounter.

We all fall down, and we all face challenges every day. That is life. The courage lies in the trying. Overcoming the setbacks and failures that present themselves on the way to your goals is what brings the greatest sense of achievement. Face your challenges with a deep determination to staying the course. Don’t give up in the face of adversity for any goal worth pursuing will require its share of determination and perseverance. Connect with that which makes your spirit soar and remember that it matters not that you reach the summit, but that you had the guts to try. It is through perseverance in the face of adversity that the ordinary become extra-ordinary. All that said, I have all the faith in the world that by following the 9 steps of The Lifestyle Solution and truly believing in yourself you will succeed! Always nurture your flame of hope; don’t give up.