I’m a Quitter

As the saying goes: “Don’t be a quitter…”

You know the rest. Quitters don’t win, etc..

Sometimes you have to quit though.

Quit an abusive relationship.

Quit abusing alcohol.

Quit that job that’s abusing you and makes you so unhappy.

Persistence is necessary for success, right, but you have to be on the right track to begin with. Quitting can be a way of getting on that right track. Sometimes people are just frightened of failing. So much so that they stick at it no matter what, and no matter whether the ‘it’ is right for them.

Knowing when to quit is a talent. It is something that can be learned too.

We all need help in recognising the danger signs of when we are in a rut and need to quit rather than merely continue out of habit or some misplaced sense of duty. So from now on you need to practice quitting.

So why do people quit?

Self-belief, or the lack of it, mainly, in my opinion – confidence is always indispensible to success. Sometimes it is all about you believing that the next stage is possible – whatever that stage is. And if you don’t believe you can make that move then why should anyone else? I’m not talking about ‘fake it till you make it’. Most people see through a phony straight away. Also, if you don’t know what you are doing or why you are doing it then you will be found out eventually, no matter how good the disguise. But without a degree of confidence combined with a lot of determination to overcome difficulties and really succeed then you may as well quit!

So the lesson is quit doubting and start doing.

Doing is key. Let me explain. Any kind of change in one’s life can be difficult. Being an entrepreneur has its rewards but it is often hard upon those who choose that path – and their loved ones. And if the path is hard then the challenge is going to be too, and so is the temptation to give up, or, worse, put off until tomorrow what you need to get working on today.

Face the facts, the road is going to be hard because the destination is worth it. But it’s where you want to be, need to be even. The road to nowhere is soft and easy and many take it. The tread that way not because they want to, or even that they want to en up where it leads but because they don’t want to make the effort on a bigger idea. They settle for a personal procrastination, a genetically modified laziness. Look: tomorrow never comes – so you have today to begin, it’s only ever today.

Quitting involves choice. You quit – you made a choice. Not quitting can simply be living on ‘remote control’ – and that is no way to live. Life involves choices. Always did; always will. You may not like what is on offer but you still must choose something. And that something can be to stop, to cease, to desist, or to move on.

The key to what I’m saying is not about becoming a ‘quitter’. You get that. What I’m urging you to become is a ‘chooser’. A discriminating individual who at times will decide that the best course of action is to quit.

Here are some decisions I don’t regret:

Quitting working for someone else.

Quitting the corporate politics and ladder designed by someone else.

Quitting the 9-5.

Quitting a mind-set that told me someone else would determine my future.

Quitting listening to the voice that told me there was a limit to what I could achieve.

Quitting the company of friends who were fixed to where they were and would never grow as people.

Okay, you get the picture. And I’m sure you’ll agree that these were some of the best decisions I have ever made. Quitting was the right decision each time, at the time.

Cast a glance over your own life. Where do you need to do some quitting? Where are the places that a little less trying and a lot more quitting is going to bring you quickly to a better place? The power of taking control is as true for letting go as it is for taking hold. It’s all about timing.

But don’t just quit. Think about the consequences and you must then plan for alternatives – as much as you can. Just quitting is one thing, but it is not an end point in itself. You still have to choose for something, just make sure it is the right thing. Part of that process is the very human business of trying things – some will work for you, some won’t – but you know this because that is what being an entrepreneur is all about.

Quitting a location can be exciting. Leaving behind memories that may not be all good, starting afresh, all of this is so very welcome at times. But leaving one destination means going to another. Here at Mount Bonnell we get that. Every year we help lots of people move from Europe to a new life in the States. Sure, it’s ‘quitting’ but it’s also starting, the end of one adventure and the start of another. That’s the rhythm of life.

So go ahead, quit! But know why you are quitting and what the next step is.

And in the road ahead, Mount Bonnell are always there to help you every step of the way.