Is it time to quit?
Photo by magnezis magnestic on Unsplash
I always pay attention when a topic comes up more than once in my client discussions or networking chats because those tend to be good topics to ensure we cover here together. This week, the focus was on knowing when to walk away from something (a job, a relationship, a hobby, a dream, etc.) even though you may still love parts of it. When topics like this arise, I recommend people read Annie Duke's most recent book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away.
One of the ideas Annie shared was that often, we wait too long to quit something, waiting to have all of the insights to be sure vs. weighing the potential losses of sticking with the status quo.
She shared the story of someone who had come to her miserable in her current job and debated taking a new one. When asked why she was debating the decision if she were so unhappy, the woman answered, “What if I’m miserable in the new one, too?”
When asked, “What are the chances you will be happy where you are in 1 year – 0%. What are the chances in the new job – 50/50.”
When the woman thought about those odds, the decision became clearer.
Often, when we look back at a decision to leave something, we realize that we probably should have left/quit earlier.
As you reflect on your life, is there something you know it’s time to quit or walk away from?
❓A job that no longer allows you to grow,
❓A sport or hobby that you no longer find joy in doing,
❓A relationship that is no longer healthy or
❓Even something small like an exercise class or routine?
I'm trying (that is a keyword because I don't have it mastered either) to walk away from activities sooner and be okay with saying, “I no longer want to do this” (volunteer opportunities or networking groups often fall into this category).
When we continue doing things that we regularly dread or wonder if we should quit, we're using critical energy that could be used to focus on the people and activities we know we want to do.
Questions to ponder today:
❓Knowing that we all have 24 hours each day, what’s the cost of sticking with your status quo?
❓What are you missing out by continuing with something that no longer serves your goals?
❓Is today the day to quit what’s not in line with who you want to be or where you want to go?