Is it okay to quit? In short, absolutely.
When you hear the word “quit” you translate it to “giving up.” And sure, you gave up. That’s not entirely a bad thing though…
Sometimes, quitting is for the best. Knowing when something has run its course and isn’t working out actually brings you closer to success.
Ultimately, you quit when something doesn’t bring you joy anymore, when it seems pointless, or impossible. You quit for a reason.
You may still believe that quitting is for losers; but if I haven’t convinced you yet, quitting is for winners. Not sticking to something doesn’t make you a failure. Failing doesn’t even make you a failure.
What if you’re in a situation where quitting is the right thing to do? What if you need to quit something now to do something better later?
Do you know how many things I started and stopped simply because I woke up and decided I didn’t want to do it anymore? As someone who’s still figuring out what my ideal future looks like, starting and stopping is normal to me.
In order to figure out what we are passionate about, we’re going to have to go through some trials and tribulations. How else would we know what works and what doesn’t?
I don’t see this as quitting, I see it as going down a different path. Or better yet, eliminating things that I know aren’t right for me. Maybe that’s the definition we should give quitting; an opportunity to start fresh and try something new.
With anything you do, there will be days where you feel like you want to stop. That is completely normal. You’re not going to love something all of the time.
Like most things, there are good and bad parts. The excitement and grit and hustle you have when you first start something is going to be different when you start doing it for a while and those obstacles start to come up. When those roadblocks present themselves- no, that’s not when you quit. That’s when you remind yourself why you were doing it in the first place.
Quitting because something is hard isn’t a good enough reason to quit. It is no shock that nothing in life comes easy. You have to work for the things you want. If we quit every time something was hard, we would literally never make it to the finish line. We would never accomplish anything.
Before deciding to stop something ask yourself,
“Does it excite you?”
“Why did you start in the first place?”
“Is this still something you can see yourself doing a year or two from now?”
“Is it worth it?”
“Does it motivate you?” Motivation comes and goes with anything you do. You can be unmotivated from time to time and still want to succeed in whatever you’re doing. There will be days where you just want to lay around and be lazy and not worry about anything; especially work. But if doing it feels like a chore or a hassle more than anything else, maybe it’s time to reassess.
“What’s making you dislike this so much?”
“What aspects of it are holding you back?”
“Why doesn’t this feel like the right fit?”
“What might be a better path to go down?”
Don’t let the thought of being a “quitter” hold you back from exploring new things and letting go of old ones.
As we get older, so many things about us change. This includes our priorities, our goals, our likes, our dislikes, and the things that make us happy.
Quitting is literally a part of life. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. There are very few people who have wanted to do the same thing for their entire life.
Letting go is hard, and not many people can do that. They may think,
“Well I worked this long at it, might as well keep going.”
“It’s too late to stop.”
“I don’t want to start over.”
That fear of letting go and starting new is only holding you back from experiencing something better.
Quitting is a part of success. Accepting that some paths aren’t ours to walk takes a lot of maturity.
You didn’t fail and you didn’t give up. You tried, and that was enough. Now figure out what you’re going to try next and keep doing that until you find out what’s meant for you.
