Never give up. It’s advice that is thrown around daily – but is it always right? We asked some folks we admire about their thoughts around how to know when to give up and when to keep trying

Kelly Sarri | Filmmaker

I think the answer depends on the stage of life you are in and the issue at hand. There is not a right answer for those moments when you feel that you want to give up. Most of the time, I have found that time helps. You can only sit with the discomfort or take a short break from the pressure and come back and see how you feel and usually when you come back you find this drive that originally filled you with enthusiasm and energy coming back. Read more>> 

Eli Maffei | Concept Artist

This is an important question that a lot of people ask themselves when embarking on a new endeavor. I think the key is to pursue something that you simply couldn’t stop doing, even when you fail. A lot of people have said to me over the years, “I wish I could draw”, but I always try to remind them that they can do anything that they want to do. The operative word is “want”. I want to be an artist bad enough that I am able to work through and accept the constant failure that it takes before success. Read more>>

Arlen Vazquez | Hair Colorist

You know to keep going if you truly desire to achieve the goal you have committed to. No matter the time it may take or the obstacles you will have to overcome, how bad do you want it? At times taking breaks in between is necessary but it doesn’t mean that you are done, It means that you are recharging. It means you may need to go through this temporary experience to learn a lesson or the adjust your lifestyle, to focus on yourself, your health or your family before continuing. You truly never give up, you may have just taken a long break but you can always jump back in and keep going. Read more>>

anna delury | Senior Iyengar Yoga teacher

Well this is such an interesting question! As a long time Iyengar Yoga practitioner, and teacher in the method, it has evolved. When i was young I would just push til I dropped. Now I am, I hope, more mature as a human and a practitioner so it all has to do with observing whether or not I am present in whatever it is i am up to. If my attention has wandered, either physically or mentally or emotionally, I have learned to ease it back on track. To listen. To be willing to say I don’t know. To just be in a space of witnessing what is happening. Read more>>