Quitting: Intentional Rest

Our society is filled with people preaching perseverance. Influencers, artists, athletes and so many others we look up to, all talk about not giving up. When asked about how they became a success, " I didn't quit" would always be their reply. Quitting is so underrated.

As someone who writes about self-improvement, it may sound contradictory talking about embracing quitting but I believe this is one of the misconceptions about self-improvement and productivity that needs to be addressed. As much as it sounds like a setback, quitting is much more than a deliberate end of something.

Quitting is being honest with yourself. It is realizing that whatever you are doing, no matter how lucrative or productive it might be, is unhealthy to you. Quitting is taking an intentional rest from whatever makes you sick and tired of where you are and who you are.

Quitting and Giving up shouldn't be described as one even though they seem similar. Giving up is ending something resulting from one's lost hopes. Quitting, on the other hand, has nothing to do with hope. You can quit without losing hope but you can't lose hope without quitting.

"Winners never quit and quitters never win."

"Winners are not people who never fail but people who never quit."

"The only difference between winners and losers... Winners never quit."

I can go on listing quotes that describe quitters as losers. Quitter shouldn't be a word. My actions shouldn't define me, my mistakes shouldn't either. I don't become a loser because I lost and I'm not a failure because I failed. I shouldn't be called a quitter because I quit. It's words and stereotypes like these that make our lives difficult.

I am not saying you should start quitting in everything or anything. I am saying, accept quitting when it's necessary. Don't feel bad about ending something bad for you. Go on and go hard for whatever you are doing, but when it isn't worth it anymore, end it. It's okay to quit. It's okay to end things. Don't think of quitting as good or bad, think of it as choosing YOU. Quitting is not a reflection of your self-worth.

"Sometimes quitting is the right answer, and sometimes it is not. Sometimes you need to persevere, and sometimes you need to let go." Dr. Kristian H.