When “Don’t Quit” Doesn’t Work
Quite often I hear people say some pretty silly stuff. Stuff that often makes sense on the surface, but when you really think about it, doesn’t make much sense at all. One of those things is:
Don’t quit
This is some of the worst advice ever. Please quit! Quit things that are not working, things that don’t serve you any more, or things that are not helping you get what you want. What about smoking? People should quit that, don’t you think? Quit bullying? Yes, I think so. What about the positive stuff that isn’t working for you? Quit a job that is killing you? Maybe worth considering. Quit hanging out with people who drag you down? Probably a good idea.
Over a year ago, I quit Crossfit. Gasp! I love Crossfit, but it just wasn’t serving me anymore. Finally, I made a hard choice. I quit, cold turkey. After about three weeks of no Crossfit, I was amazed at how much I had needed to quit. In quitting, I saw many things that I would never have seen or learned otherwise. Did I quit forever? I don’t think so. I think I will likely do Crossfit again someday, when I am again inspired to do so. But at the time, as hard as it was, quitting was absolutely the best thing for me to do.
Before you blow a gasket, let’s make a distinction between quitting and giving up. Maybe we have these two ideas collapsed into one? Lance Armstrong got it wrong: quitting is not forever, giving up is. Just because you quit a bad teaching job, doesn’t mean you give up on your desire to be a great teacher. People would be healthier, happier, and more productive if they would quit more things and really examine the difference between giving up and quitting. What if you quit just one thing that isn’t working and replace it with one thing you really do want to do? What can you quit that will allow you to move forward? Of course quitting something that isn’t serving you anymore takes guts, what do you have enough guts to quit?
Thanks, Mattison. This is great wisdom for the new year. In the last few years, I have quit a few volunteer positions that were no longer serving me well. I think it’s especially important when volunteering that the task brings you joy and satisfaction. Years ago, someone gave me great advice that I have taken to heart. If I “quit” then I am providing an opportunity for someone else to come in and make a contribution. This was very freeing for me and helped me deal with the guilt that sometimes comes with quitting.
Thanks for this article. It got me thinking about reframing my beliefs on quitting. It’s great advice on helping us identify the things or relationships that we should quit because they are not to keep holding on to.
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Well, Lance Armstrong couldn’t succeed without artificial stimulation. So, he isn’t much of an inspiring source. In fact, he got a lot of things wrong…didn’t he? His words were never sage advice, but yours are. Thank you!