Being a Leader PART 2: What “Never Give Up” Means

It’s hard to know what some things mean when you don’t have the words to describe them. Sometimes being a kid is like being an alien, because the adults in your world can tell you what to do, but sometimes can’t tell you how to do it. When you’re doing something hard, and you’re getting frustrated, you might be told, “Never give up”. But what does that mean?

Never giving up is about things like:

• Courage: Doing something you’ve never done before takes a lot of courage. You might not be good at something when you first start, and people might be mean and make fun of you. Courage doesn’t mean that you’re not afraid. It means that you want something badly enough to work through the hard parts.
• Determination: Sometimes you just want to quit. You get angry and sad, and it hurts when you feel like you’re not getting good enough fast enough. When you get frustrated, it feels like you’ll never be good at what you want to do. But just imagine where you’ll be in the future if you just keep on learning!
• Patience: This means that when things get tough, you don’t get angry or upset. It takes practice, so don’t get sad if you can’t be patient for long.
• Perseverance: Even if it’s hard, even if you can’t see success right away, you just keep moving toward your goal and that “someday” where you’ll be where you want to be with your skills.

As you can see, a lot of things go into not giving up, and it can look a little big for a kid like you to tackle all by yourself. The thing is, you’re not all by yourself. If you look around, there are parents, teachers, and friends who want you to succeed just as much as you do. Asking for help takes courage and determination, and then patience and perseverance to stay on course. Remember, all the adults around you once had to start right where you are, learning and practicing to get where they are today.

Here are some great books about kids just like you who wanted very badly to be good at things. You can find them at your local library or bookstore:

• Salt in His Shoes: Basketball player Michael Jordan was once a little boy who almost gave up on playing basketball. Here’s how he and his parents made his dream come true.
• Dancing in the Wings: Sassy dances in the wings because she feels awkward about her long legs and big feet. When a famous director comes to visit, she tries hard to be noticed, even though her classmates make fun of her.
• Winners Never Quit: Mia hates to lose, so much that she quits rather than lose a soccer game! Sometimes learning how to win means learning how to lose.
• What Do You Do With an Idea: One day, a child brings an idea into the world, and then it begins to grow.

Check these books to discover stories about kids just like you who never gave up!