Knowing When To Quit
“It’s easier to burrow ahead, even on a course you’re no longer certain of, than to have to look up from your life and contemplate the alternatives.”
Last week I gave my two weeks’ notice for an internship I’ve been doing since September. I was iffy about taking the position in the first place. The start-up had a good service idea and seemed like they were still working through the kinks of ‘starting’, but the work seemed doable. Plus, it was more work experience I could add to my resume and portfolio.
I should have gone with my gut at the time. I almost turned the offer down. Almost. But I convinced myself that it would at the very least it would be a good learning experience. And it was. I learned I should trust in myself more and stop wasting my time with the back and forth when I already know what the answer is.
Source: Harry Sandhu via Unsplash
Time is precious.
The point of this post isn’t to complain about a job I won’t have to worry about soon. It’s about quitting. Nowadays, quitting anything is looked at with a negative eye. No one wants to be thought of as a “quitter” and no one wants to be the person who gave up too early. Even I’m guilty of that. As an athlete we push perseverance and “pushing through no matter what”, but we never talk about the other side of things. We never talk about how quitting might be the best decision you ever make.
The other day I stumbled upon this tweet:
Today I need to hear stories of the first time you quit something and it was a good decision. (Not addictions.) Society often uses “quitter” as a derogatory term and more often people talk of regret of quitting but I want to collect some no regrets stories.
— 💡 𝙰𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎 𝚆𝚎𝚋𝚎𝚛 💡 (@RobotMakerGirl) December 10, 2019
I immediately thought of my internship and how much relief it gave me to tell them I was leaving. I thought about all the time I’ll gain back when it's all said and done. The stress that will be released from not worrying about how to help and work around convoluted systems. This isn’t the first time quitting has given me a huge sense of relief and I’m it won’t be the last.
Quitting can come in all shapes and forms. If you read through the Twitter thread above, you’ll find people sharing stories of leaving their “dream jobs” or even those who stopped pursuing what they considered their long-standing dreams. You’ll find people who quit simpler things like Facebook and even a woman who decided that she doesn’t have to force herself to finish reading books if she doesn’t enjoy them.
While the stories have a wide variety and range, they all hold one thing in common: no regrets. If anything, some say they regret not quitting earlier.
One of the biggest shifts of my life came when I switched my major from Engineering to English during my junior year of college. I spent almost all my life up to that point telling myself I would be an engineer. I had my whole life mapped out and engineering was one of the clearest steps I needed to check off. I did a ton of STEM programs in middle school and high school and solely focused on engineering programs when applying to college. Two years into the program I realized it wasn’t what I truly wanted. Then I spent another 6 months trying to figure out if I should just tough it out and finish the degree or move on to something I truly enjoyed. Long story short, I moved on. Five minutes into my first degree-specific English class, I knew I had made the right decision. Looking back now, I wish I had made that decision earlier.
If you’re mulling over a huge decision that involves quitting, I suggest giving the Twitter thread a read and seeing if you can relate to anyone’s story. Hopefully, it can help you find clarity in your own decision.
Of course, I’m not saying we should all become serial quitters and drop anything that has any sort of difficulty. I’m just saying many issues aren’t as simple as we think and to give it real thought before making decisions. If you feel that quitting is the best for your life, just know that it doesn’t make you a failure. It doesn’t mean you suck at life or that you’re giving up on yourself. It simply means you’re ready to move on and find something you can find some sort of fulfillment in.
Don’t worry. It’s not the end of the world.
Source: Allie Smith via Unsplash
What was the last thing you quit with no regrets? I’d love to hear more positive experiences to change the quitting narrative.
