I’m going to butcher this reference, but here goes: I read a NY Times article in the past year or so that talked about how sometimes quitting is healthy. Healthier than sticking with what you started out to do.
As a society – and certainly in my personal family sub-society – “giving up” or quitting was not an option. I am hard wired to finish what I started, no matter what. Even when the book I’m reading totally and completely sucks, I feel genetically compelled to drag my eyes over every word to the end…and I wind up not remembering a fraction of what I read.
It’s very hard for me to stomach “quitting” because I appreciate commitment. I seek out stick-toit-iveness. My middle name is tenacity. I certainly don’t want people to quit on me.
But sometimes you gotta say “uncle,” and the NY Times article I read supported that. There are times when it is psychologically and physically healthier for us to cut our losses, recognize a time-suck for what it is, and pursue a different activity that fulfills us more – either spiritually, work-wise, hobby-wise, or perhaps even just resting-wise.
I’m currently taking a night class, 100% and completely just for fun. It actually is a certificate program, but I’m not terribly interested in that portion of it. I started out taking just a 2-week piece of it, found out there was more, and signed up for the whole semester.
Like I do. All in, all the time. (It’s exhausting, really.)
What I like about the course: we are constantly changing topics/instructors and learning totally new things every couple of weeks.
What I don’t like: the current topic/instructor. It doesn’t pertain to me, I’m never going to pursue this particular component either as a hobbyist or professionally, and I don’t possess the necessary equipment for the class…nor do I intend on buying it. This particular portion of the class really just doesn’t pertain to my current or future interests or intents. But the thought of skipping class makes me nauseous.
Additionally – I’ve got a lot on my proverbial plate (mostly liver, lima beans and Brussels sprouts) that I’m dealing with personally and professionally. Work is exploding (in a good way), I’m obtaining bigger/more office space, trying to keep my current clients happy and informed, traveling, participating heavily in my Rotary club, writing 100 blogs in 100 stupid days, and trying to pursue my own hobbies so I don’t wind up…well…eating people. Oh yeah, and class.
As Bernadette Peters put it so aptly in Blazing Saddles: “I’m….so…tired.”
So I’ve – after much personal angst, hand-wringing, and teeth-gnashing – decided to sit the rest of this module for the night class I out. I need the time to do more productive things that fulfill me as a person more, and learning this particular set of skills is not going to do it for me. I need to cut my losses, move on, and pick back up when I can be fully engaged. I’m not saying this decisions was easy. But it sure feels necessary.
Oh, and I quit blogging for a minute to go track down that article, and here it is! Worth quitting what you’re doing for five minutes to go read it.
“Sometimes You Have to Quit to Get Ahead” by Stephanie Lee, New York Times, June 5, 2018 (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/05/smarter-living/knowing-when-to-quit.html).
Happy quitting,
~HM♠
Half Maverick 
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