September 03, 2020

When to Quit

29 minutes

When to Quit

On the Stronger Revolution Podcast, we are all about moving forward. In fact, it is in our purpose for the podcast: always trying to be 1% better than yesterday. In other words, always trying to move forward through the aggregation of marginal gains. However, sometimes, it is appropriate to quit. In this episode, Adam and I discuss scenarios where we think it is appropriate to quit. This is not a subject to take lightly. Quitting should be part of a long process of consideration and introspection. Here are some instances we think quitting may be appropriate:

When what you are doing no longer aligns with your purpose: Sometimes, we can start a new job, a new event, or a new relationship to help us work toward our goals and purpose. Then, along the way, that thing can move away from your purpose, or even start to contradict with your purpose. Under those circumstances, you may need to quit and move on. For example, you start a new job at a non-profit to help people in need. However, a year later, the company starts to emphasize profits over service. If that’s the case, it may be time to look for a new job.

When continuing becomes detrimental to your health: When we work toward our purpose, we can become obsessed with progress. If taken to an extreme, the aggregation of marginal gains can lead us into overworking ourselves in the pursuit of that 1% gain. This may start to have an adverse effect on our health. That may actually start to move us backward, not forward. In this case, best to quit and move on before it’s too late. This is don’t include service professions that may require a sacrifice of your health, like a fireman, policeman, coal miner, or medical professional. In those cases, it is understood that continuing may put your health at risk. However, that risk is often necessary to assist others.

When the cost of continuing outweighs the benefit: We want to try to limit the influence of money on our lives as much as possible. But, being realistic, money sometimes plays a roll in moving forward. When the financial cost of continuing outweighs the benefit, it may be time to quit. Very few people can choose to live without money. Thus, we all have a minimum standard for the quality of life we want to live. When pursuing your purpose causes you to fall below that minimum standard, it would be appropriate to move on.

If and when you decide to quit, determining how to quit will be a case-by-case basis. However, we can look at general themes. First, you should plan to quit quietly. Quitting will likely cause someone to suffer in some way. For example, quitting a job will likely cause your boss some increased stress and work. Thus, you do not need to feed into suffering by loudly moving on. Second, being as open and clear about quitting as you can. There is no sense in lying. You can spare some feelings, but be as truthful as possible so everyone is on the same page.

We want everyone to live their best lives. This means moving forward toward your goals all the time. Sometimes, however, moving forward means quitting. These are just a couple of instances we think quitting is appropriate. For more discussion on the topic, check out the podcast episode.

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