It’s the credo of success – “Don’t Give Up.”

In a world that’s focused on personal advancement, we’re taught from our earliest moments to set our sights on the future, design goals and persevere. We realize that we will encounter hardship and challenges along the way and are devoted to tirelessly reaching the finish line. And while that mindset is highly effective for moving the bar forward towards our dreams, something very important often gets lost in the process.

If you’re one of the droves of people who live by the motto, “Don’t Give Up,” just a little fine tuning can broaden the definition – and your chances of success – in every area of your life.

Don’t give up…yourself for someone else (because you’re swept away). While our minds set the direction, our hearts can sometimes grab the steering wheel. The powerful emotion that’s felt between two people can be intoxicating. We want to immerse ourselves in it and utilize that relationship as an oasis away from our daily cares. Slowly, and often without our conscious awareness, we may begin to let go of who we are. The little things that we love, our hobbies, interests and favorite pastimes, begin to fall away as we devote all of our time and attention to object of our affections. While understandable, it’s important to remember that it’s our uniqueness that makes us interesting. Our own special talents are what set us apart and will eventually lead us to our ultimate happiness and purpose. Because of this, the best gift that you can give your significant other is the whole you.

Don’t give up…your loved ones (just because it’s inconvenient). It seems that there is only so much time and energy to go around. The result is often lost opportunities to make precious memories with those that we love the most. It’s easy to take our strongest support system for granted – but cherishing those individuals should be one of our top priorities. They say the only thing that’s certain in life is change, so hold on to those who mean the most to you for as long as you can. What good are reaching the goals anyway – if you don’t have anyone to share the success with when you get there?

Don’t give up…on mankind (just because people are imperfect). Yes, people can let us down. The nightly news illuminates the darker side of humanity, in vivid detail, on a regular basis. But for every tragic act, there are numerous heroic actions that you never hear about. This is simply because today’s world subscribes to a “fore-warned is fore-armed” mentality. Its intention is to keep you safe – but its result can leave you feeling jaded and defeated. Luckily, human beings learn from their mistakes, albeit not as quickly as we may like, and eventually find solutions to create positive change. One look at history proves that we are evolving – and the greatest change starts with us. If we can take it upon ourselves to exemplify kindness, charity and innovation, then we can significantly change the world one person at-a-time.

Don’t give up…discovering your true self (just because it’s hidden). Too often we define ourselves by the labels that the outside world gives us – seeing ourselves through other people’s eyes. At first it feels good meeting other people’s expectations, but there comes a time when we realize that we were born to exceed those expectations. You are – who you say you are. You are – who you choose to be, as evidenced by your actions. When we can open our minds to that concept, the field of possibilities broadens exponentially. Our goals become bigger and grander – and success isn’t even reached by achieving them – but instead by living a life filled with positive intention. In the end, we realize that we have grown beyond the next worldly goal and instead have become the goal ourselves. Living and loving completely – making progress, relationships and memories all at the same time.

So it pays to remember, you can do it – just “Don’t Give Up.”

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Marci Wise is the award-winning author of Pain, Passion & Purpose. Copyright © 2015 marciwise.com. Material is copyrighted but free to repost as long as proper credit is listed, including our website address.