Everyone, at some point or another, has wanted to quit. It’s human nature, when faced with change, to get to a point where you’d rather chuck it all, no matter how hard you’ve worked for it, than go on. So it’s not just you going through it; it’s all of us. Change really is the strong suit of very few people. The same holds true with patience. And sorry to say, it takes patience to make it through change all the way to the other side (which is where you’ll find what you most want to have/be/do/say).
So here’s why you should carry on no matter what it is you’re striving toward and also how to do it:
1. You should not quit because this too shall pass
Whatever challenge has got you wanting to quit will pass. Yes, it will. Maybe slowly, probably a lot slower than you would like, but it will pass eventually. You’ll figure out how to overcome. You’ll be stronger and wiser because of it. You’ll also have a newfound confidence that you triumphed over that thing and so you can triumph over the next thing too.
Only thing you’ve got to do is: take a deep breath and one small (tiny, if need be) step in the direction you want to go.
2. You should not quit because you’re closer than you think and/or give yourself credit for
Have you ever wanted to quit when you were really close to what you most wanted? I have. I can tell you from experience, it’s self-sabotage and getting in your own way. And most people do it to stay firmly rooted in their comfort zone and not have to risk. What it all boils down to, though, is fear.
Simple fear that maybe wasn’t there when you began but ratchets up a notch with every step you take toward your goal. That’s especially true if your goal has some outcome that may put you in the spotlight. Here’s the truth: the more scared you are, the closer you are to finishing.
Only thing you’ve got to do is: take a deep breath and one small (tiny, if need be) step in the direction you want to go.
3. You should not quit because defeat is a choice
It might not feel like a choice at the time. It might feel like you’re exhausted, you’ve had enough, you can’t catch a break, and on it goes. You’re not alone. You are in fact in excellent company with the rest of us who’ve faced challenges and had to decide if we were still all-in or if we were out.
In the end, it’s still your choice whether you’re going to be stronger than whatever tries to defeat you or if you’re going to let it win. And even if you choose defeat, you can always (always, always) pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and start again.
Only thing you’ve got to do is: take a deep breath and one small (tiny, if need be) step in the direction you want to go.
4. You should not quit because there are perils if you don’t finish
You can read all of them here, but the biggest one is this: you refuse to allow yourself happiness and fulfillment and those things that make your life worth getting out of bed in the morning, which tends to feed on itself, and so the more projects you don’t finish, the more you deny yourself joy, the more likely you are to start believing that you, somehow, don’t deserve joy/happiness/fulfillment in your life.
Only thing you’ve got to do is: take a deep breath and one small (tiny, if need be) step in the direction you want to go.
5. You should not quit because you’ll be betraying yourself
If whatever you’re working toward deeply matters to you, then quitting is giving up on yourself, plain and simple. And giving up on yourself is an act of self-betrayal.
Here are two things I know for sure:
- being betrayed by someone else can be debilitating,
- but being betrayed by yourself is exponentially worse because there’s never any getting away from that pain (you’re with you wherever you go).
Only thing you’ve got to do is: take a deep breath and one small (tiny, if need be) step in the direction you want to go
So will you quit on yourself or will you carry on one small step at a time?
