Hang on

Most individuals have surely experienced the surreal feeling of falling head over heels in love. Whether between couples or close friends, commitment between two parties is necessary to give them the strength to go the extra mile when they feel like they’re just about to give up. However, some do just that—give up. A time will come when everything will seem impossible that quitting seems to be the best and only thing to do to solve everything—which isn’t the case.

With its inevitable nature, quitting issues have obviously arisen in situations not just in local and national politics but also inside organizations, student councils, and even group projects. Personally, I’ve experienced getting into group works wherein the person who was supposed to lead the group was the first one to leave the members due to petty things and usual problems such as misunderstandings and demanding responsibilities. Of course, group projects are one thing, yet student leadership roles are another issue altogether.

Witnessing leaders showcase eagerness to achieve the position they’re running for and then lose interest after getting what they want has already become a normal case for me. Undeniably, tons of promises are thrown left and right by these “aspiring” leaders just to get the position and the public’s interest. There are those who said that they understood the responsibility of such a commitment before they took it up, but changed their minds halfway through their journey. And so, some student leaders entrusted with the capability to serve the students have found quitting as a sweet escape from all the negativities and hardships, without realizing that all these are a part of accepting the challenge to perform their respective duties and responsibilities.

Rather than being the source of strength and inspiration to their subordinates and fellow colleagues, these type of leaders become the weakness—creating a gap that may ruin the relationship dynamic among the people around them by destroying the foundation and making them question their own commitment. The same thing goes with relationships, when the other half no longer gives the same interest given at the first stage of the relationship, everything changes and only becomes routine as passion and dedication are lost along the way, creating even more doubt.

While losing sparks in relationships can be acceptable for most of us, lacking the will to lead is a totally different story. At the end of the day, there is still the trust that your subordinates gave you that cannot be just taken for granted. As straightforward as it seems, giving up the responsibilities given to you will not just affect your entire being but also the people you plan to leave behind—who were hopeful and dependent on the capabilities you have and the impact you created.

But here’s the key: when you feel like giving up, remember that it wouldn’t be the best solution, because there are millions of options apart from quitting. Leaders, just like partners, started with a goal intended to be attained in the middle of the journey that is supposed to be maintained until it lasts. And that goal has a number of people at stake who also entrusted you enough to take the lead.

When you’re wholeheartedly committed to what you are trying to pursue, you would definitely think beforehand of the possibilities and consequences you might encounter while doing it.

So why give up—if you can retrace the steps you took to climb that ladder and remember the reasons as to why you started in the first place.