If You Give Up Now, Yesterday's Effort Will Be Worthless

It's not bad to give up in order to start fresh again. It's a problem when you can't find anything that motivates and inspires you to keep moving forward.
If You Give Up Now, Yesterday's Effort Will Be Worthless
Valeria Sabater

Written and verified by psychologist Valeria Sabater.

Last update: 15 December, 2022

If you give up now, the effort you put in yesterday will mean nothing. If you tell yourself that you can’t go on, you let your efforts turn into tears of defeat. As a result, nothing you did yesterday will mean anything. Every wall you knocked down and everything achievement you reached will be pointless.

We carry battles on our backs that only we are aware of. You’ve done it for your family, your children. You’ve fought every day to give life to the dream that you have in your mind and that not everyone else can understand.

So, why do we tend to give up? Lack of support, deception and emotional exhaustion are the most common reasons we fall on our knees and let out a long sigh of defeat.

Others may see you as a lion, as a person capable of everything and who would never give up. Nevertheless, this lion occasionally turns into a tired cat who only yearns to curl up in the corner of a bed and sleep.

If this has happened to you once, we encourage you to recover your spirit. We recommend that you don’t give up again or let yourself be overcome by dejection.

Here’s how to not give up.

If You Give Up, It’s Not Always a Bad Thing

To give up is a term that sounds very bad to us. It lacks prestige and is usually associated with cowardice. However, we shouldn’t see it this way.

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Giving up once in a while is normal and even expected. Most of all, because sometimes the person who gives up does it to show that there is nothing the person can do.

“I give up, I know this person doesn’t love me and I can’t waste any more time with this.” “Given the evidence, I have to give up – I’m not cut out for this job and I should dedicate myself to some other field.”

Green illustration lion with butterfly on nose give up
  • Giving up is acceptable if we are accepting reality and becoming aware of something that wasn’t for us.
  • The other side of the coin is that this surrender is undoubtedly due to a broken heart and a scattered mind that doesn’t have the energy or hope to face the facts.
  • If we give up and see ourselves as people unable to wage this personal battle, we have to become conscious of the fact that nothing will change.
  • We will stay in exactly the same spot without being able to improve our well being or towards this goal that means so much to us.

If you give up at any given moment, evaluate the consequences that “letting it all go” and abandoning your objective may have.

A Temporary Surrender to Prepare For Battle

Let’s say you gave up. You felt overwhelmed by your job and said to yourself that “I’ll never make it to the top.”

  • We give up with our children, thinking they will never pass a class because they are incapable of concentrating or being more responsible and studying more.
  • On occasions, a surrendering temporarily gives us a perspective on things, lets us calm down and not feel as pressured.
  • When you give up, you go through a period of inner calm during which suddenly, without knowing how, you regain strength. New ideas, better strategies, and renewed dreams appear.

It’s worth keeping in mind that to achieve a goal, we need to be whole. Factors like pressure and elevated anxiety act as our true enemies.

Keep calm and you will see your inner lion manifest again.

Purple illustration lion geometric give up

The Final Victory Is Won By Daily Triumphs

The winner is the dreamer who never gives up. So to do this, you have to dream, imagine, create plans and strategies and above all, wish with a breath of motivation.

  • We should keep in mind that the final victory is reached through many daily triumphs.
  • We don’t always see this because we are focused only on the long-term objective. As a result, we struggle to see the daily changes we’re making towards it.

Not giving up requires a good attitude, confidence, and good self-esteem. More than anything, you must be capable of seeing that this personal struggle. Additionally, it has a purpose worth investing our time and emotions in.

Therefore, if you are fighting a personal battle right now, remember that sometimes those around you can provide invaluable help.

However, on the contrary, they could be an obstacle along the road that threatens your spirit.

Pay attention to those who are closest to your heart and above all, follow your instincts and your inner voice.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Salamone, J. D., Yohn, S. E., López-Cruz, L., San Miguel, N., & Correa, M. (2016). Activational and effort-related aspects of motivation: neural mechanisms and implications for psychopathology. Brain, 139(5), 1325-1347.
  • Weiner, B. (2013). Human motivation. Psychology Press.
  • Niermeyer, R., & Seyffert, M. (2011). Motivation (Vol. 227). Haufe-Lexware.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.