Anyone following football knows that my beloved Detroit Lions had a heartbreaking end to their sweetheart season this year. They won more games in the regular season than ever before in the program’s history, but lost miserably in the playoffs. “It hurts to lose,” said Coach Dan Campbell, his voice catching, and even if you’re not a football fan, you know the feeling.
Losing stinks. Not getting what you want stinks. Not getting what you want and have worked very hard for also stinks.
So, should you just give up?
Hardly.
You only quit when your story is over.
Is your story over?
I doubt it.
You may be at a place in your story arc where difficulties have come upon you and the Resistance is strong.
But no great adventure — in sports, in books, or in real life — ends when the hero gives up and goes home.
Five years ago, the Detroit Lions were a laughingstock. Legendarily awful, despite having some talented players. Heck, even three years ago the Lions were pretty bad.
And then… well, things started clicking.
Their efforts started to pay off. You could see where the investment in the foundational parts of playing football (solid talent, team culture building, strong coaches) started to bear fruit. They won games!
People stopped laughing. Total strangers started to root for the hard-working underdogs. Detroit football went from awful, to bad, to decent, to pretty darn good.
Sure, the team lost this year. But, they’re no longer losers, and they’re certainly not giving up now. They’ll learn, reflect, build, and move forward.
The same is possible for us as writers. So, even if your first big push of January didn’t go as planned — or 2025 caught you off guard and has you behind — don’t give up. Channel that Lion roar, and remember: your story is only over if you stop.