"Never Give Up" is bad advice

 All human capabilities fall into categories that I call talents. I define talent as an innate capability. An innate capability is the ability to do certain things that is a part of what you are; something derived from your genetics that makes you able to perform functions, assuming that you aren't incapacitated otherwise by injury, sickness, etc. Skill is the level to which your talent has been developed. All talents exist on a curve, where very few people have very low levels of a given talent, very few have high levels, and most are somewhere in between. For example, Michael Jordan has a very high level of athletic talent. He has a great innate capability in athletics. But everyone has some level of innate capability in athletics. There may be no one who, all things equal, has no ability to do anything physical. 

Certain talents are widely recognized, like athleticism, or musicality, but virtually every capability fits into some category of talent. Less recognized are talents like strategy, business or even discipline. All of these thing s are capabilities which some people have more or less of. Because these are innate, or defined by genetics, they can't be altered to great extent. For example, one may have, on a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest level of talent, 10 being the highest, a 4 in athletic talent. One may be able to increase their skill in that talent to perform at a level that others who have a 5.5 perform at naturally. However, one will never be able to perform at a level of 7, no matter how much effort goes into developing skill. FYI, these are arbitrary numbers, just to make a point. 

If you want to do business, you have to have a talent level high enough to accomplish your goals. If you don't have that, no amount of effort will allow you to develop the skill necessary. The same is true for discipline. Accomplishing many goals depends on the level of discipline and if you don't have the talent necessary, you will not be able to accomplish your goals. The same is true for all talents. In order to achieve your goals, you must have the talent. Without it, you will fail. That's why the "Never Give Up" mantra is bad advice. You should absolutely give up on the goals for which you do not have the necessary talent. Instead, try to find out what your best talents are and develop skill in those areas. 

People will ultimately find value in focusing on their talents. Because these capabilities are innate, people will find satisfaction in using them and dissatisfaction in attempting to use capabilities in which they are poorly endowed. If dissatisfaction with life in general is to be avoided, it's important for people to understand this idea.