It’s 2 a.m. The numbers don’t add up. Your inbox is full of rejections. Your energy feels like it’s been wrung out, and the dream that once lit you on fire now feels like a heavy burden.
If you’re here, you’re not alone. Every great founder, creator, athlete, and leader has stood exactly where you are on the edge of walking away.
But before you quit, read this.
Quitting Is Easy. Staying is Rare.
Walking away feels like relief in the short term, but regret lasts much longer. The truth is, most success stories aren’t about genius ideas; they’re about people who simply refused to stop.
The overnight success you see? It was built in years you never saw.
“I was one decision away from closing my company. That week, we landed the contract that changed everything,”
recalls Layla Hassan, founder of a logistics startup in Dubai.
Remember Why You Started
When you feel exhausted, go back to the beginning.
- What problem lit the fire in you?
- Who are you building this for?
- What did the old you dream of creating?
Your “why” is the anchor when the waves are high.
Exercise: Write down the exact moment you decided to start. Tape it to your wall. Look at it every day.
Scaling the Vision: From Kitchen Table to Global Warehouses
The demand exploded. She reinvested profits into research, packaging, and distribution. She partnered with chemists to ensure formulas met international standards.
E-commerce allowed her to serve a global audience. Strategic collaborations with beauty influencers in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe turned her into an international name without opening a single physical store.
By the third year, her products were stocked in luxury retailers from Dubai to Paris.
The Dip Is Part of the Process
Author Seth Godin calls it “The Dip”—the tough, unglamorous valley between starting and winning. Most people drop out here. But those who push through? They get to the other side.
The dip feels like failure, but it’s actually a filter. It weeds out the ones who wanted the reward, not the mission.
Pain Means You’re Building Something That Matters
Growth hurts. Muscles tear before they strengthen. Startups strain before they scale.
If it’s hard, it means you’re doing something that’s not ordinary.
“The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.”
Your Future Self Is Watching
Imagine 5 years from now, looking back on this moment. Do you want the story to be:
“I gave up when it got hard”
or
“I kept going and that’s when it turned”?
That future version of you is counting on the you of today to keep moving.
What to Do When You Feel Like Quitting
- Pause, Don’t Stop. Take a weekend. Switch off. Rest is not quitting.
- Call Your Circle. Speak to the 1-2 people who believe in you without question.
- Break It Down. Focus on the next 24 hours, not the next 5 years.
- Remember the Data: Many companies and projects succeed right after their lowest point.
✅ Fact: Airbnb almost shut down in 2008. They sold cereal boxes to survive. Two years later, they were valued at $1B.
The MENA Grit Factor
In the Gulf and across MENA, founders are not just building companies they’re building ecosystems. Many are creating solutions where none existed, often without deep investor networks or established playbooks.
This makes the journey harder, yes, but also more meaningful. You’re not just working for profit you’re shaping the future of a region.
“We didn’t have role models when we started,” says Omar Saleh, founder of a Saudi healthtech startup. “Now, we’re becoming them.”
Final Thoughts
If you feel like quitting today, understand this:
It’s a signal, not a sentence. You are closer than you think.
Success is rarely about talent or luck. It’s about endurance. It’s about one more email, one more meeting, one more sunrise of trying.
You started for a reason. Don’t end it in the dip.
“Your breakthrough might be hiding behind your next try.”
