I am proud of the lifetime of trial and error it took to gather the experience to write this article which took over 2 years to complete. My best advice? “Life is too short to settle.
“Don’t settle. Don’t finish crappy books. If you don’t like the menu, leave the restaurant. If you’re not on the right path, get off it.” – Chris Brogan
I was raised with the immigrant mentality of work harder—and then work much harder—and above all else never quit. I associated shame with quitting, and quitting with being ashamed. But while you certainly aren’t going to get A’s and B’s by quitting, or get into the college of your dreams by quitting, or let alone land your dream job—is it possible that you could live your happiest life by selective quitting?
What if we aren’t quitting enough—and not the other way around?
Maybe instead of reading articles titled “Why You Should Stay in Your Job” we should instead consider “Why You Should Quit Your Job” and “How You Should Quit Your Relationship.” We need to stop allowing ourselves to be shamed by quitting things, people, and situations that don’t support our happiness. Life is simply too short to settle.
But quitting is not the same as giving up—that’s where we get confused.
Quitting can actually speed up the process of achievement. Your energy isn’t going to be wasted in doing more of the wrong things. Your soul knows when you should quit, but your mind keeps you engaged because of the fear of shame. So quit being ashamed and accept that there is no failure, only effort and result. And if the effort you’re making towards a goal is no longer inspiring, give yourself permission to quit that one and make space for the intention that fits you today. Choosing to quit is not the same as failure—far from it. The archaic definition of “quit” is “to behave in a specified way.” It is intentional and you are in charge.
Think of it like this: If you’re telling yourself “you can’t quit,” what does that say about the state of your health and your ability to live from intention? Nothing is more disempowering than saying we “can’t” leave this job, person, or habit—as if it controls us and we can’t do anything about it. It starts to sound a lot like addiction.
“When you quit all the things that aren’t working for you, when you quit tolerating all the negative things that hold you back, you’ll create a positive ‘charge’ in your life as well as create the space in your life for more positive experiences.” – Jim Allen
Quite frankly, forcing ourselves to do things that no longer spark joy is exhausting. Why don’t we quit? Because we all form habits as we go through life, but even our good habits keep us from growing spiritually. This is because habits are, by definition, an attachment to a pattern of behavior, or a form of dependence. This includes not just our attachments to material objects (like “needing” chocolate), but also attachments to only seeing things in one way, or repeating the same thoughts over and over. A key benefit of quitting is the opportunity to break our attachments. Only then can we begin to allow true spiritual growth and joy to bloom.
All of this has allowed me to open up more positive space.
Hope you’ll have a read and share if inspired. Love yourself – Quit something today!
To read the full article where I suggest 15 things to consider quitting, read on.
What have I quit? Toxic job, relationship and most of all worrying about what other people think about my life. Read on here
#Quitting#Writer#Happiness#Reframing#WritersLife#Courage#IWillWhatIWant#LoveYourself#LoveYourLifeYOGANONYMOUSWanderlust
