Never Gonna Give Up

There is a song I really like that isn’t very popular. It is called Never and is written by a Hawaiian reggae band called The Green.

The lyrics are powerful. The music is melodic but feels as if there is this underlying energy. It feels like calm yet forceful energy.

It starts out by explaining that the singer feels immense pressure every day to just complete his day. He is working long hours and keeps pushing forward. But through it all he is still ok.

Most songs seem to point to the feelings of pressure and stress. Those lyrics emphasize giving into pressure or releasing pressure. Or they go the opposite way and lash out at the individuals or systems they feel create that pressure.

Most reggae music is different. It holds some rebellion but focuses on maintaining a positive mindset. Reggae musicians such as Bob Marley have perfected this positive mental conflict with their music.

They use offbeat, skank guitar to give that jumpy, happy sound. They use a heavy bassline to drive melody and movement. Their lyrics jump between stories of fighting against aggression to enjoying the peacefulness in life.

Modern bands have pulled this into their music also. They often use their vocalist to combine melodic passages with forceful ones creating more emotional movement.

To me this is uplifting. It helps to keep a positive perspective and fight through challenges refusing to give up.

The final lyrics include, “I said no way that I’m ever giving up on you.”

Too often in life we quit too early. I recently spoke with a friend about a coworker of his throwing in the towel on a project that he felt was doable. He didn’t want to stop pushing towards completion, but the project manager said it wasn’t possible and they should ask for a long extension.

When the extension was approved, they stopped all work on the project, feeling as though they had plenty of time. The project manager may have been right. It may not have been completed on time.

But if they don’t keep making progress, they will continue to find themselves in this position. They will feel it is too much and they will have to quit on the team again in the future.

My friend said he wished the project manager didn’t give up on the team. It caused them to lose focus, lose confidence, and lose momentum. Instead of rallying the troops, this divided them.

Pushing towards our goals, even with the risk of failure, means that we don’t quit easily. We become a little stubborn. We don’t want to fail, even if we have a good reason. Instead, we want to push on and reach our goal.

If you find yourself leading a team realize the power that you have over the team’s collective mindset. Realize that by pushing forward you might just surprise yourself and do what you think is unlikely.

Hearing the song by The Green I am reminded of this lesson and of the story my friend shared. It brings back the energy and power that comes with a mindset that refuses to quit. It emphasizes the valuing of pushing on in the face of difficult times.

What about you, are you feeling pressure to quit on a big goal? Take a listen to the song by The Green and see if it gives you enough motivation to keep going, refusing to quit.