No one likes to admit it, but every entrepreneur has thought about giving up. Me too. And not just once or twice.
There were several. Moments when the weight seemed greater than the strength, when the numbers didn’t add up, when the uncertainties screamed louder than the motivation.
The difference is that, over time, I learned that these moments are not the end of the journey—they are part of it. Giving up is a temptation that visits those who are truly trying something big.
I remember well the early stages of SEDA, when everything seemed to go wrong at the same time.
The model was not yet sustainable, the team was small, and the bureaucracy of doing business in another country seemed endless.
There were days when I wondered if it was worth continuing, if the dream of building a global education school wasn’t too big for me. Today, looking back, I realize that it was precisely in those phases that I learned the most valuable lessons.
The first is that discouragement is not a sign of weakness — it’s a reminder that you care.
When the journey is meaningful, it’s natural to feel fear, doubt, and tiredness. The problem isn’t thinking about giving up; the problem is believing that this is the end.
I learned to see these moments as necessary pauses, not as defeats.
Instead of giving up, sometimes all I needed was to breathe, reorganize myself, and remember why I started.
Another thing I learned was that the biggest turning points came after the worst days. Almost always, when the urge to stop was strongest, the path was about to open up.
It’s as if the universe tests how much you really want it.
And it was there, in the uncertain early mornings, in the silent internal conversations, that I found the kind of faith that doesn’t come from outside, but from the conviction that the purpose still makes sense, even when the result hasn’t yet appeared.
These moments also taught me to trust people more and to ask for help.
Entrepreneurs have a habit of carrying everything alone, as if admitting exhaustion were a failure. But I learned that strength lies precisely in recognizing limits and seeking support.
Many times, what prevented me from giving up was seeing the team’s dedication, the sparkle in the students’ eyes, or even a simple “thank you” from someone who was transformed by what we created.
Today, I know that every time I thought about giving up, something in me transformed. These moments shaped my patience, my resilience, and, above all, my purpose.
I discovered that success is not only made of achievements, but also of the times we decide to continue even without guarantees.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in these years, it’s that almost giving up is part of growing.
Because it’s in that “almost” that we redefine ourselves, strengthen ourselves, and learn what really matters.
And, in the end, perhaps that’s exactly what separates those who dream from those who achieve: the courage to continue, even when everything inside you asks you to stop.
