The Day I Almost Gave Up—And Why I Didn’t

There was a night I thought I was done.
I was sitting on the floor of my tiny rented room, knees pulled up to my chest, the fan squeaking above me. My phone screen lit up every few minutes with reminders of bills I couldn’t pay. My bank balance was a joke—less than $20.

And I said out loud, to no one: “What’s the point anymore?”
I had been trying, really trying. Writing. Freelancing. Doing odd jobs. Nothing was clicking. Every time something good happened, it was followed by two things going wrong. It felt like life had decided I wasn’t meant to win.

Rock Bottom
When you’re at the bottom, it’s not only about money. It’s the shame. The weight of failure. The way you avoid friends because you don’t want to explain why you’re struggling. The way you let calls from family go unanswered because you can’t fake the cheerful “I’m doing fine.”
That night I opened my old notebook, mostly to distract myself. On one page, written weeks earlier, in messy handwriting, I’d written:

> “Remember why you started.”

I stared at those words for a long time.
Why did I start? I remembered the hope I felt when I first dreamed of building something for myself. The idea of not waking up to a job I hated. That fire. Somewhere along the line I’d buried it under fear and exhaustion.

And that night, even though I felt broken, I knew one thing: quitting wasn’t an option.

The Next Morning
The next day wasn’t some miracle. I didn’t suddenly land a big break.
What I did was simple. I sent one email. Just one pitch. I nearly didn’t hit send because I thought it was pointless, but I did it anyway.

The day after, I sent another. And another.
Out of ten, maybe one got a reply. But that one was enough to make me try again the next day.
Slowly, painfully, I got a small project. Then another. The money wasn’t much. But it felt like proof—I wasn’t wasting my life.

The Lesson I Didn’t Expect
Here’s what I learned: success doesn’t come in one grand wave. It comes drip by drip, win by win, inch by inch. But quitting guarantees you’ll never see it.
I used to think motivation was about hype—quotes on Instagram, videos with loud music. But real motivation is quieter. It’s the decision to wake up and try again, even when no one is watching, even when your heart isn’t in it.

Motivation isn’t a feeling. It’s an action.

And the more I acted, the more the feelings followed. The hopelessness didn’t disappear overnight, but it loosened its grip on me. The exhaustion didn’t vanish, but it became bearable. And slowly, opportunity started to find me—because I stayed in the game long enough to be found.

The Turning Point
Months later, I landed a client that paid more in a single project than I used to make in a month.
I didn’t jump up and down. I didn’t scream with joy. I just sat there staring at the payment notification. Because in that quiet moment, it hit me:
If I had given up that night, if I had listened to the voice saying “What’s the point?”—I never would’ve seen this moment.

What I Learned
Life will push you. It will drag you through nights where you’re sure you can’t go on. It’ll whisper, “Stop. Quit. This isn’t for you.”

Most people do. They give up right before things turn.

But if you can survive the ugliest night, if you can keep moving even when it feels pointless—that’s when the shift happens.

To Whoever Needs This
If you’re in that place right now, sitting in the dark, ready to quit, I get it. I really do.
I won’t give you fake promises. Tomorrow won’t magically fix everything. But take one small step. Just one. Send the email. Write the page. Apply for the job. Don’t quit tonight.
Because sometimes the night you almost give up is the night right before everything starts to change.