Right Before It Works, You’ll Want to Quit
Most people don’t fail because they aren’t talented.
They fail because they stop showing up right before things start to work.
There’s a quiet moment that every dreamer faces--the moment when the excitement fades, the results don’t come, and quitting feels easier than continuing. It’s the space between potential and proof. The gap between “maybe” and “made it.”
That’s where most give up.
But that’s also where every great story begins.
The Dip
Every dream tests you before it rewards you. It’s part of the deal.
You’ll pour time, effort, and energy into something that gives you nothing back. You’ll question if you’re good enough. You’ll compare yourself to others who seem miles ahead. And you’ll start to wonder if the universe is trying to tell you to stop.
But it’s not.
It’s about finding out how badly you want it.
The dip is where 99% of people quit.
But it’s also where 1% of the population is forged.
The Turning Point
When I started writing online, I thought I’d see traction after a few posts. I didn’t. For weeks, I wrote to an empty inbox. No comments. No shares. Just silence.
Then one day, something shifted. Not the algorithm--me.
I stopped writing for validation and started writing from conviction. I stopped chasing applause and started chasing truth. My words got sharper, my stories got personal, and people finally started to notice.
But that only happened because I refused to stop.
I didn’t feel inspired--I felt stubborn.
And that was enough.
The Lesson
Dreams don’t belong to the lucky. They belong to the relentless.
Every setback is data. Every “no” is feedback. Every failure is a step forward disguised as rejection. You don’t build your dream by being perfect--you build it by refusing to disappear when it’s hard.
Because the truth is, the moment you’re ready to quit is usually the moment the tide starts to turn. But you’ll only see it if you stay in the game long enough.
Persistence is underrated because it’s unglamorous. But it’s the single most consistent predictor of success across every field.
The universe rewards persistence disguised as madness.
The Call
If you’re tired, rest. If you’re discouraged, step back.
But don’t you dare quit.
Your dream is still waiting for you to show up--one more time, one more day, one more try.
You haven’t failed until you stop showing up.
P.S.
If this hit home, you’ll love my two ebooks — The 10-Hour Skill Accelerator and Clarity & Direction for Independent Creatives — designed to help you make real progress on your goals, even when motivation runs out.
They’re available again this month for $37 each as part of my one-year Substack anniversary.
I can relate to the messy middle of learning something new and thinking maybe I’m not cut out for it. There are songs I’ve worked on for months and came so close to just shelving them. But that moment of almost quitting is the heartbeat of every great song. Thank you Idris Elijah for reminding me to keep writing, keep learning and keep playing!
Building my X page has had some moments where the growth felt too slow to matter but this reminded me that those quiet stretches are part of the story. Every great story has that middle act…no music, no spotlight, just grit. Then one day the light hits different and you realize the whole time you were becoming. I’m going to keep showing up, one post at a time, until the rhythm shifts. I’ve already seen glimmers of those shifts since I started the page and won’t give up. Thanks for the inspiring read today Idris!