Arjun Sen, author of ‘Unquit Forever’ and several other books, shares practical ways to rediscover motivation and purpose in times of crisis.

We all face crises that feel like the end of the world. But what if a crisis wasn’t the finish line, but the starting line of your next ‘unquit’ journey?

A crisis has two parts: The actual challenge, and how you feel about it. Deep down, you know you can handle the challenge; it’s your feelings that often derail you. These typically begin with self-blame, progress to self-pity, and conclude with self-doubt. And self-doubt is the hardest to shake.

Manage Your Feelings

Start by accepting and acknowledging your feelings, then deal with them. A good place to start is with facts. The fact is, what happened cannot be undone. Hoping and wishing it did not happen will not undo anything.

Hit Pause

The pause is very important because without it, it’s easy to fall into reaction mode. Impulse can make you feel that any action will get you out of this, prompting you to do the first thing in front of you. Reactions are emotional responses that often make the crisis worse. So pause, breathe, and make an effort not to react.

Regaining Your Power

Slowly start appreciating where you are, the fact that you’re breathing and still in the game. If the crisis hasn’t taken you out, you’re in a good place. Not reacting means you’re in control. Momentum is now in your favour, and you can choose the what, when, and how of your next move. That control proves the game isn’t over, the crisis hasn’t won, and you haven’t quit. Smile and give yourself a pat on the back. Taking time to process and accept this is crucial. It lets you separate the journey ahead from the challenge and its emotions. Without that pause, there’s no separation and without separation, you stay stuck in the past.

Revisit The Past

Drum rolls, please, you’re now ready to look back, but with purpose. Like a detective, don’t linger; go only to extract learning — what happened, what triggered it, and its impacts — and to celebrate wins. Honour the you-from-the-past who, though imperfect, still got you through. Celebrate the YES and leave the NO behind.

Facing Fear

Once you’ve gathered the facts, it’s time to face your fear. Fear has no address; it lives rent-free in your mind. See it as a caring elder sibling trying to protect you, or as a self-dare asking, “Can you?” instead of insisting, “You can’t!” That shift in words changes everything. Soon, you’ll breathe easier, knowing fear isn’t real, the past is behind you, and you still have full control to take the next step forward.

Locking On To Your Purpose

You’ve done the heavy lifting, now comes the fun part of the ‘unquit’ journey. Close your eyes and reconnect with your purpose. For me, it’s dancing at my daughter’s wedding, imagining my “change the light bulb” and “push the wall” moves That vision reminds me that my actions today keep future-me in the game. When you anchor to your own purpose, it becomes your North Star. With that clarity, take just one step forward, then glance back to celebrate your separation from adversity. One step is all it takes to start the journey. In my marathon, thinking about 65,500 steps felt impossible, but one step put me in the “You Can” world. Find your reason, take that first step, and you’re already there.

You Can

Life is an ‘unquit’ journey driven by a simple process: Don’t let the past define you, learn from it, face fear, recommit to your goal, take one step, and celebrate — again and again. When adversity peaks, hit reset and start over. Unquit is in our DNA; the only choice is which voice to follow — “You can!” or “You can’t. ”I choose “Yes, I can” when staring down a crisis. You can too.

At 32, Arjun Sen was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given just 100 days to live. The turning point came when his young daughter asked, “Will you be there at my wedding?” — a question that shifted his mindset from despair to determination. Fuelled by this promise, he fought through over 20 surgeries, embraced a healthier life, and emerged not just a survivor but a “cancer winner.” Today, as an author and motivational speaker, Arjun shares his journey to inspire others to face life’s toughest battles with courage, hope and purpose.