Like many other people, I have encountered the temptation to give up on something. It's easy to get to the point where it seems like the time you've spent working toward a desire or goal and the moment of fulfillment could be quite frightening.

Excitation, passion, and inventiveness go in cycles, and then there are cycles of hopelessness, discouragement, and the urge to give up.

We quit so easily, why is that?

Our minds tend to give up easily, which is natural. According to the "Pleasure Principle," or the need for instant gratification, humans are designed to act:

Instant gratification is the desire to feel good or satisfied right away, without waiting or postponing. In essence, you get it when you want it and you want it now.

Instant gratification is built into the way our minds work. Being able to reap immediate benefits was essential for survival in the past, so we were designed to look for it. Because we tend to focus on the here and now, when we don't immediately get what we want, we get anxious and want to give up.