TO QUIT OR NOT TO QUIT
“It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop,” Confucius
It Is Easy To Quit, But What If You Don’t
What do you do when you want to quit? It is common or normal to want to quit when things get too hard, or obstacles never end. It’s easy to feel that all of your time, money, and energy you have put into your dream or goal is taking too long to come to fruition.
You can learn to handle the urge to quit by realizing there are cycles of excitement, enthusiasm, creativity when going down a new path. However, if we are not in tune with ourselves, those feelings can turn into despair, discouragement, and there lies the desire to quit. Just because the feelings are there, doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong, it is more about what we do with them. The temptation to quit can at times be overwhelming. If you want to quit, take a moment to look down the road 5, 10, or 15 years….do you see yourself happy with the decision to quit today or will you regret it?
Tony Robbins' "Rocking Chair Test" is used as a way to push past fear. I believe you can use the same process when you want to quit. He said to “imagine yourself as 80 years old, sitting on your rocking chair, and you didn’t do whatever it is where fear is holding you back. If it doesn’t bother you, then don’t do it. But, if you feel like you missed out, and you regret not doing it, then go for it.”
HOW NOT TO CAVE AND QUIT
“Daring kids to dream, that’s the only reason why I’m sitting here.”– Michael Phelps
REMEMBER YOUR WHY - Why did you start this journey? What were the first emotions you experienced when you decided to go down this path? Tap back into the joy you felt, the thrill of this new adventure. Go back to the beginning and revisit your purpose and the energy.
INTERVIEW YOURSELF - Ask yourself "why do I want to quit?" What is the alternative? Is there another solution? Is fear taking over? Are my expectations altering my reality? Are you physically tired? Have you been doing all of the work yourself or should you ask for support? Do you need to learn a new skill? Do you need to just take a step back before continuing on?
ARE YOU TAKING TIME TO CELEBRATE – Large or small victories need to be embraced and celebrated. Everything in your journey is important, so celebrate the accomplishments and celebrate yourself for continuing on this exciting path.
The Consequence Of Giving Up Too Early
Instant success is a myth. Overnight success stories are usually a 20-year journey. Many successful people fail hundreds of times. If they chose to give up instead of working harder to reach their goals, they would never succeed and you would not be reading about them.
For example, Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” If he gave up imagining and dreaming about big ideas, he wouldn’t have found the successful Disney business and you would not be planning trips to Disney.
My friend, if you give up now, you will never know what could be or what could have been.
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM OLYMPIANS
Anyone who knows me, knows I love the Olympics. I love the stories of every person who competes. We are blessed to see what years of training have taken them, but there is always a back story. The stories of overcoming adversity, health issues, financial challenges, sacrifices made of their families, and so on. THEY DID NOT QUIT. They had no choice but to push through to the other side and get on the biggest stage of their lives.
Let’s learn from two Olympians from the 2022 winter games. American Snowboard, Lindsey Jacobellis has one of those DID NOT QUIT stories. Sixteen years after a costly error near the finish line, she saw the gold medal slip away from her, only to capture it in 2022 in the snowboard cross. But it doesn’t end there, another individual was also going after his elusive gold.
Michigander Nick Baumgartner was at his fourth Olympics, this time at the age of 40. After he missed his chance at the podium in the men’s snowboard cross, he did not know if he could bounce back. Two days later, he partners with Lindsey in the mixed team snowboard cross and they win the gold. He did not know at the time that he was two days away from a gold medal. What if he quit…what if he believed the narrative in his head that he may not get another chance.
Don’t quit my friend….you are [this amount of time] from your victory!
Keep Chasing Your Dreams - British long-distance runner Mo Farah experienced this first hand at the Rio 2016 Games. His training partner accidentally tripped him 10 laps into a 25-lap race. Instead of giving up, Farah got up and continued racing, and won the gold medal.
Every Second Counts - Everything you do counts. In the Olympics, the difference between first place and last place can be a fraction of a second. In 2008, Michael Phelps won gold in the 100-meter butterfly by one-sixth of an inch. Don’t despise small beginnings. Each step matters and makes a difference in your journey. Each steps gets you closer to your goal.
Adversity Can Be Your Friend - Tough times happen to everyone. Gold-winning American gymnast Simone Biles was taken into foster care at age five due to her mother’s drug addiction. The beginning of the journey may not look great, but over time, you will gain momentum and will be able to push through obstacles when others give up.
Let Life Be Your Teacher and Be Coachable - Olympians are on a world stage, and everyone is watching them. We see them when they choke under pressure, make a mistake that may cost them a race or a medal. They let those tough moments teach them. They step back, evaluate and learn from it so that the next time, they know what NOT to do. They come back stronger. Be open to learning from others and constructive criticism.
Be Hungry - Olympians don’t settle. They all believe they will walk away with a gold medal. They believe in themselves and keep reaching! Many Olympians keep coming back to the games (every four years) so they can accomplish their dreams and win their gold medal. Four years!!! That is a long time to wait, but they are hungry for it.
OKAY, SO YOU STILL WANT TO QUIT
If you do have those feelings to quit... CHANGE THE NARRATIVE. Look at the things you SHOULD quit. Yes, you have permission to QUIT, but don’t quit on YOU, but on those things that are keeping you from moving forward, from getting unstuck, and from those thoughts/ decisions that are keeping you from reaching your full potential.
So, let's change the "DON'T QUIT" narrative to "I NEED TO QUIT"…
Quit the excuses
Quit body shaming yourself
Quit your self-limited beliefs
Quit giving up on yourself
Quit holding back on making a decision
Quit saying you are broke
Quit saying "I can't"
Quit the stress that is NOT working for you Quit being resentful or personal regrets
Quit not getting back up Quit being someone else
Quit (you fill in the blank)
You get the picture. Let's change the narrative and make it work for YOU. What do you need to QUIT?
WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE - You can use QUITTING to your advantage (as stated in the list above). You can use the feelings of QUITTING to your advantage, too. Whenever we pursue a dream, goal, relationship, or just something better for our lives, we will face challenges and obstacles. Why? They help us to grow, develop character, make us better human beings, help us decide if this is what we want in life, and build the muscle of tenacity in uncertain times and moments. Before you decide to QUIT, take a step back, a deep breath, and look at the big picture. Most likely, you are going in the right direction so don’t give up!
