I’m sure you’ve been tempted to quit. I was tempted to throw in the towel earlier this week because: 1. I’m not a fan of change, 2. I’m also not a fan of patience, and 3. I’m most definitely not enamored with overcoming one obstacle only to have another one pop right up.
So know this: you’re not alone. You’re in excellent company with the rest of us who’ve started something new and are doing our best to see it through all the way to the end even though some days we want nothing more than to give up.
Here’s why I considered quitting and you probably have too (and also why we shouldn’t).
1. You should quit because it’d be easier
Yes, it would. It’d be way easier to drop what you’re doing and walk away. Go do something else. Something mindless that doesn’t require much effort. Something with a few challenges or better yet, no challenges at all. Just you being happy, finally (until you pick something else to do and the wanting to quit stage circles back around).
The peril if you quit: you’ll never get to what you wanted to have/be/do/say.
2. You should quit because there’d be less pressure and stress
You got that right. No deadlines. Nobody waiting for something. No more worrying about where the time/money/resources/etc. is coming from. No questioning if you’re just plain out of your league, don’t have the skill set, aren’t smart enough to pull this off. Just pure bliss (until you pick something else to do and the wanting to quit stage circles back around).
The peril if you quit: you’ll never get to what you wanted to have/be/do/say.
3. You should quit because there’d be one less decision on your plate.
That means relief. One less thing on a to-do list as long as my right leg. No more responsibility for that particular thing. The end of you wondering how you’re going to handle it all. Just a finally-able-to-breathe relief (until you pick something else to do and the wanting to quit stage circles back around).
The peril if you quit: you’ll never get to what you wanted to have/be/do/say.
4. You should quit because you could open up some time to do other things
Time spells freedom. All that time you were using toward that goal would open up for you to do something/anything else. No more hours/days/weeks planning/working/creating/following-up/etc. No more blocked-off schedules. Just do whatever whenever (until you pick something else to do and the wanting to quit stage circles back around).
The peril if you quit: you’ll never get to what you wanted to have/be/do/say.
5. You should quit because there’d no longer be a need to ponder the outcome
That equals joy. All the brain power that goes into what will happen with the final outcome could be applied to something else. All that focus and attention diverted to a new thing. No more need to think about if it’ll end up how you hoped or how it’ll be received or if it’ll even work out. Just living in the moment (until you pick something else to do and the wanting to quit stage circles back around).
The peril if you quit: you’ll never get to what you wanted to have/be/do/say.
So you see, there’s a pattern
It’s not unique to me. All of us go through it. Change, any kind of change, comes in stages. And one of those stages is the dark night of the soul when you’d rather give up and pitch it all, no matter how hard you’ve worked for it, rather than continue on into an uncertain future.
It’s right there, at that stage, that people give up on themselves and quit. I know because I’ve done it. And that’s a terrible thing to do to yourself because right after that stage, once you make it through, well, that’s when you get to see all your hard work come to fruition. Success is what’s on the other side.
Don’t get caught in a cycle
Thing is, most people who quit one thing go on to pick something else to do. That new thing will start you back at stage one, which is full of excitement and anticipation. Problem is though, no matter what you pick, it will eventually lead you to that same dark night of the soul stage, where you’ll still have to decide whether to go on or to quit. And if you quit again and start anew . . . only to quit again and start anew . . . and on and on, you’ll end up in an endless cycle.
So whatever hard thing you’re going through right now, no matter what it is, don’t give up on yourself, don’t quit moving through it, don’t think by quitting you’ll make your life easier. You might for a time, but you’ll get caught in the cycle. And if you don’t already know, you can’t ever make any forward progress going around in circles. You just can’t ever get to what you most want to have/be/do/say if you quit.
So will you quit or will you keep going?
