Considering quitting something but just not sure?
Do you feel in your gut that it is the time to say goodbye but you haven’t made the move yet?
Are you thinking it is time to cut your losses but want to be certain?
Knowing when to quit can be really difficult, which is why I am sharing 4 things to consider to help you be confident in your decision either way.
Quitting isn’t something to be taken likely. Maybe you have come across this quote before
“Winners never quit and quitters never win” by Vince Lombardi
And as a result, you take quitting very seriously. The fact is many people quit too early, but I don’t agree that winners never quit. In fact, I think smart people quit, but strategically and that is what I want to help you do.
1 – CONSIDER IF IT WASN’T ALREADY IN YOUR LIFE WOULD YOU ADD IT IN
There is a theory called loss aversion and it suggests that people prefer to avoid losses than acquiring equivalent gains. The fact is we don’t like to lose so when we think about quitting we think about what we are loosing and as a result are hesitant.
So instead what you should ask yourself is if this wasn’t already in my life would I add it in. If you wouldn’t add it in then it is time to let go (ie quit).
2 – CONSIDER WHAT YOU COULD GAIN BY QUITTING THE CURRENT THING
If you are considering something the likelihood is that is taken up your precious resources in some way. Maybe you want to quit something that is time-consuming like being a volunteer or on a board. In this situation, your time precious and you should consider what you could do with this new found time.
Or maybe you want to call quits on a job that is draining you. What could you gain from being in a better mental and emotional state?
Or maybe you know it is time to end a friendship and by ending one friendship you are making space for a new friend in your life.
3 – CONSIDER WHAT YOU WOULD TELL A FRIEND IF THEY CAME TO YOU.
Sometimes it is easier to advise others than yourself because you are just too “in it”. So try to remove yourself and imagine it is your friend that was considering quitting what would you tell them.
4 – CONSIDER HOW YOU WOULD FEEL A YEAR FROM NOW
At the beginning, I shared a quitting quote from Vince Lombardi. Now as I said I don’t believe there is anything wrong with quitting as long as you aren’t doing it all the time. So you need to work out is something hard at the moment and that is why you want to quit because in the short term you just can’t deal with it or are you making this decision to support you in the long-term?
Take a moment to think if you quit how will you feel a year from now. Obviously, this is hypothetical but if you think a year from now you would still feel the same and want to quit then do it.
TIME TO TAKE ACTION
That’s it – I have given you 4 things to consider. Hopefully, after working your way through those points you will be in a position to make a decision about whether you should quit or not and feel confident about your decision.
There is no doubt that quitting is difficult and in many circumstances, you can never be 100% sure if it is the right thing to do. But by taking to think through your decision hopefully, you will know you didn’t rush into the decision and now you made the best decision you could be in the moment.