For the past two hours and twenty-seven minutes, I have been staring anxiously at my laptop screen with absolutely no work done. A second ago, I was determined to write the most creative, intelligible editorial that manages to be witty — and perhaps even inspiring. Yet, no matter how much time I spend drafting my piece, I simply cannot seem to put them into the right, exact words the way I envision.
Frustrated with my lacking ability to efficiently create a decent draft, I close my eyes. A crossroad appears in front of me: to persevere or not to persevere — that is the question. Deep down inside, I know I can finish it. I spend another one hour and three minutes, imprisioning myself inside an oppressive cycle of searching the thesaurus to find the most fitting words and ending up deleting every sentence in my document.
I let out a sigh, regretting about the road not taken. If I had thought about writing a more manageable topic, perhaps I would have been finished with my editorial by now. Why is it that I simply cannot seem to let go over the idea that I am giving up?
There is an endless list of surroundings, both implicit and explicit signs, that beg us to equate giving up with failure. Since the day babies are born, they face daily obstacles. They learn to flip over, grab a nearby object, and stand up with wobbly legs. Each time they meet a new challenge, parents loudly encourage them with supportive “you can do it” or “you are almost there.”
As toddlers move on and enter school, teachers expose students to biographies of successful public figures. It is not surprising to discover that these “successful” individuals according to society have one quality in common: perseverance.
Steve Jobs, one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the century, said it with his famous “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” So did Albert Einstein, one of the smartest scholars on earth, as he inspired millions with his “it’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Even in Ewha Voice articles, a handful of interviewees have encouraged readers to never give up as persistence is the key to success.
How can we possibly give up when everyone around is telling, whispering, and screaming at us that giving up will lead to failure in our career, our dreams, our lives?
As much as there were dozens of projects that made me feel proud after persevering to perfection, there were as many accomplishments that brought me with near to zero satisfaction or excitement. The achievements reminded me rather how stressed out I was for no particular reason, leaving myself to contemplate: “Was that worth it?”
While it is crucial that we need to acquire the capacity to complete challenges that seem impossible to achieve, it is equally essential to pick up the art of giving up. The option of giving up comes along with an unrecognized present whether that be in the form of relaxation, happiness, or an unexpected inspiration.
Scrapping my ambitious masterplan to write the most awestrucking piece ever, I now conclude my impromptu writing piece that I typed out whatever I could in fifty-seven minutes. Indeed, it is not the best editorial piece that I have ever written, but I finished it by the deadline. A healthy compromise, a mixture of giving up and not giving up, for my poor soul who wants to sleep. That may be all that matters to me right now.