Even Champions Get Tired

July 12, 2025

Never Give Up

One day, during the second year of my PhD, I told my supervisor, “I think I want to quit.”

I thought I had hit a breaking point.
My tuition was unpaid.
My dad was also doing his PhD.
Mum wasn’t working.
My three sisters were in school.
No one in the family was earning; yet we were all chasing dreams.

My supervisor replied, “You don’t have to believe me, but I hope you do—if you don’t give up, one day you’ll remember today and be grateful you didn’t quit.”
That word changed me.

I stayed. I pushed. I graduated a year later.

Why am I sharing this?

I feel like telling you what my supervisor told me that day, and maybe it'll help you too:

If you’re overwhelmed, exhausted, and quitting feels easier—don’t.

Champions aren’t those who never felt like quitting—they’re those who didn’t.

I love the words of the Bible, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap—if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)

Keep pushing. In the words of my friend, Dr Niyi, "Keep swinging"

The future you will thank you.

I believe in you.

ALWAYS SEEK DIVINE CLARITY

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In 2017, I applied to speak at TEDx. Rejected. In 2018, I applied again. Rejected. In 2019, I applied twice—both times, again, rejected. But I didn’t stop. Why? Because I was stubborn about my purpose. Like the widow in Luke 18 who kept returning to the judge, pleading for justice, I kept showing up. I kept believing that one day, the door would open. Eventually, it did. That TEDx stage didn’t come because I was the most eloquent or the most visible—it came because I refused to give up. I’ve learnt that any success you desire in life will demand persistence. Not talent, not applause, not connections—persistence. When all else fails, try persistence. When clarity is blurry, try persistence. When the applause is absent and the doors are locked—try persistence. Seest thou a man diligent in his work? He shall stand before kings (Proverbs 22:29). If I could share one counsel with every dreamer, it would be this: Be stubborn about your purpose. Be relentless in your pursuit. For in due season, you will reap—if you faint not. I believe in you. Dr Samuel Ekundayo | The Purpose Preacher
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