You just can’t beat the person who won’t give up.

 –Babe Ruth

Everything about this quote makes me want to stand up and take another run at whatever obstacle is in my way.

Those folks who are pessimistic about an idea – I just want to find a different angle and give it some gas. When there are people who don’t see any good in any situation, I just want to turn their heads and show them all the great things in their lives. And when I get shot down on every single idea, it only fuels me to find one more idea to set up for target practice.

Maybe I’m obnoxiously optimistic. Maybe I’m unrealistic in my expectations. Or maybe I’ve been faced with plenty of obstacles of my own and know from experience that giving up is just not an option in this world.

Where would the world of basketball shoes be if Michael Jordan gave up when he got cut from the team in high school? We wouldn’t have an entire line of popular basketball apparel.

Where would we be if every inventor gave up one tweak too soon? No electricity. No cell phones. No Twitter!

Where would our young nation be if those settlers who moved west gave up on the first hill of West Virginia? No Midwest. No John Wayne movies. What would Louis L’Amour write about?

 

We were created to rise. To keep going. To compete. To succeed. From the first steps of a toddler to the last breath of the elderly, we were made with a grit and determination to work, gain and to strive for the next goal. You may not have finetuned your list of short- and long-term goals for the year, but I can guarantee you the thoughts of just one more (you fill in the blank) run through your mind every single day. And that’s what keeps our world turning and improving.

This dairy industry can be pretty depressing, especially when the price of milk stays consistently below a profitable level … or even a breakeven point. It’s not fair. It’s not right. But it’s something we either have to live with or change.

And the only thing we have the power to change is ourselves and our operations.

Change is not the end of the world, but giving up is close.

Don’t allow the pessimists to have too much influence on your life. Take what they have to say with a grain of salt and use it to improve your life mix. Maybe you need to put something aside for a while. Maybe the timing for a project is off. But don’t quit.

Babe Ruth knew he couldn’t give up when he had the most strike-outs of any Major-Leaguer. He had to continue to swing that bat. As he continued to swing, he continued to improve the mechanics of his swing. And those strikes turned into homeruns. They can’t beat you if you don’t give up. Keep swinging.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.