The Measure of a Life: Why You Should Never Give Up
This is about you.
I’ve learned a lot about failure.
The kind of failure that knocks the wind out of you.
The kind that makes you question whether you were ever meant to succeed in the first place.
If you’ve been there, then you know what I mean.
And if you haven’t—stick around long enough, and life will throw you your own personal initiation.
I used to believe that success was built on talent, connections, and maybe a little bit of luck.
I was wrong.
Success is built on something far less glamorous: the willingness to stand back up, dust yourself off, and take another step forward.
Even when you’re tired.
Even when you’re broken.
Even when the world sneers at your efforts and tells you to quit.
I’ve written before about the lessons I learned from failing, in How to Succeed at Fiction by Failing, How to Succeed at Fiction by Failing - Part Two, and How to Succeed at Fiction by Failing - Part Three.
If you’re new here, those articles will give you a peek into my journey—where I started, where I stumbled, and how those stumbles became my greatest teachers.
But this article isn’t just about me.
This is about you.
The dreamer. The storyteller. The person who has felt alone in their struggles. The one who has stared at a blank screen or an unfinished manuscript and wondered if it was worth the effort. The one who has felt the ache of wanting more but fearing that maybe, just maybe, you don’t have what it takes.
Let me tell you something: You do.
What makes a person unstoppable isn’t the absence of failure—it’s the refusal to stay down when failure comes knocking. It’s about recognizing that every setback, every heartache, every lost opportunity is just another step on the road to something greater.
And along that road, we are not alone.
The Beauty of Family
I wouldn’t be here without the people who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.
Family isn’t just about blood; it’s about the people who stand by you when the world feels too heavy to bear alone. My wife, my kids, my closest friends—they remind me why I do what I do.
When I write, I write for them as much as I write for myself. I write so that my children know that dreams are worth fighting for, even when they seem out of reach.
If you’ve ever felt like giving up, look around.
Find the people who see something in you that you can’t see in yourself. And if you don’t have those people yet—be that person for someone else.
Love freely.
Encourage generously.
Because we rise higher when we lift others with us.
A Love for People
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned in this journey is that my work isn’t just about me—it’s about you.
Every reader who has reached out, every message I’ve received from someone who found hope in my words, every person who said, “This made me feel like I wasn’t alone”…you are why I do this.
You are why I keep pushing forward.
If you’re here, reading this, let me remind you: Your story matters. Your voice matters. The world is richer because you are in it.
So don’t give up.
Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
The best stories aren’t the ones where the hero has an easy journey—they’re the ones where they fight, stumble, fall, and rise again.
Keep writing your story.
And if you ever need a reminder of why the struggle is worth it, come back here.
Read the words of someone who has been there, who has fallen more times than he can count, and who still chooses—every single day—to get back up and keep going.
Because that’s what heroes do.
Say it WITH me this time:
You are MORE Than You THINK You Are!
Yes, that shirt IS cool…want one?
Jaime, I'm inspired, every time I read, or listen to your articles, and stories, and love how you always end with that statement, "You are more than you think you are." It always gives me a lift in my heart, and my spirit.
I, too, desire to lift the spirits of others, though I don't have the same bard like talents.
Your stories keep that desire alive in my heart, and mind, and help me to continue to spread, or rather, reflect the light which is me into the lives of those I come in contact with.
Thankyou for that, and please continue the good work.
Just wanted to drop a note and say thank you for sharing your story - the first three articles hit me deeply, how you keep going is a mystery I’ll never know, but if I had to guess I’d say it was a f-bomb (family).
Really excited to see how your current new journey goes and I wish you the best of luck with it. I’ve just picked up the first two books Demoni Vankil and Choices for my Kindle.
From what I’ve read so far your voice and style seems very similar to another writer friend of mine M T McGuire and her K’Barthan series (at hamgee.co.uk) I think you might enjoy them.