You know, sometimes I have a day or two’s pause, to think about what message I want to put on my blog and out into the Universe. Sorry it took me a few days, but here is this one:

Don’t Quit!

Seems simple, doesn’t it? It’s the poem that my maternal Grandmother sent me when I was going through a tough time. It’s by an anonymous person and I L-O-V-E that they made that simply to bless others, as encouragement. No monetary value, no recognition — just to encourage others to keep going!

I’ve learned in life that “winners,” or people who succeed do not stop. If one way doesn’t work out, they may have to change course a bit. They do not stop trying. Edison tried 1,000 materials before finding the right material for the lightbulb filament. He would’ve truly failed had he given up.

I know my Mother always used to say, “Pick your battles,” especially where [raising] children were concerned. Stopping something isn’t “giving up,” it’s more like streamlining or setting yourself up for success. Basically, she was telling me not to take on too much and pick the battles you can succeed at, because the “war” was at stake! I used this in my abusive relationship A LOT, but I still use it now.

“Failure is not an option,” is also a mantra I live by. I don’t give up, I find another way! Even if I have to exhaust 1,000 ways, #1,001 might be the key! Or #5,016 – LOL! I keep plugging along until I finish something difficult, or I find a better way to accomplish something. To me, that is the key to success. My former abuser wanted me to fail. Constantly. He told me that I was not a good writer and that I wrote things that NO ONE cared about. Yet, here I am, writing. It heals me. If it helps someone else too, that’s great! I am speaking my truth and putting it out into the Universe to show people that abuse is survivable, that our abusers were dead WRONG. Their definition of success is having a subordinate they can control. Ours, as survivors, is, not only to personally survive, but to be extraordinary in a way that is safe and satisfying.

So, my message is here to tell you that you CAN do whatever you are trying to do, that I believe in you (if no one else does), and to keep going! You can do it! DO. NOT. QUIT!