In life, neither victory nor loss lasts forever.

I was hiking recently with my son, and it wasn't an easy hike—it was steep and required lots of endurance and strength. My son got to the point where he almost started crying because of how difficult the hike was, and at that moment, I noticed something that I believe is true in the context of both hiking and life in general.

Although the journey doesn't end until death, it is crucial to periodically reflect on how far you've come. The peak of this mountain is hundreds of miles away for most of us, but there are places set out along the way to stop and rest a while. I get it—life is hard. Building strength is hard. Not quitting is hard.

If you feel like giving up, I have a message for you.

Know when to take a break. If you keep progressing, you will eventually be rewarded with strength. You will be rewarded with an incredible view—your progress over the years. When you feel like laying down and stopping altogether, I need you to remember something. When you miss that person, or when you lose that opportunity, it's okay to recover. It's easier said than done to bounce back from a hard fall, so don't beat yourself up for taking a break to focus on the things that are still positive in your life.

You're not done until you quit. You haven't surrendered to your pain until you've stopped trying altogether, which is why your mindset is so important. We all hit brick walls—we get to points in our lives where we're surrounded by people who don't love or care for us. It's not easy, but when you reach a point like that, it's important for you to remember that even a lack of support can't stop you from taking your life to the next level.

I know what you're thinking. "Trent, I can hardly get out of bed, let alone level up my whole life."

Progress happens in recovery, too. Whoever out there is reading this, I need you to remember that. If you have to take a break, do it! If that break is the only thing that can keep you from stopping altogether, it's what you need to do. If you want to get better in your life, you are going to have to prioritize recovery. When you feel like no one is supporting you, you have to support yourself.

I talk about perspective a lot, because we all need a great deal of it. Life is a matter of mindset, and perspective is the difference between power and prison. Stop feeling guilty about recovery. If you need to take a moment to gain some perspective, do it—your life is on the line.

It all starts with you.