Sometimes giving up can be the best thing you can ever do for yourself — sometimes quitting is exactly what you should do.

The reason

Have you ever found yourself working so hard on something without knowing exactly why?

1. Why Am I doing this?

Am I solving a problem by doing what I’m doing? Is what I’m doing helping me? Is it working for me?

2. Is it working for me?


Is what I’m doing really worth it?Is all this sweat and blood worth the end result? Is it worth the sacrifice or is there a chance I might be hurting myself ultimately?

3. Is it really worth it?


Whenever you’re working on something, ask yourself this: “Is there an easier way to do this?”

4. Is there an easier way?


Am I prioritizing effectively? Am I doing what’s best for me from all points of view? Or at least from all the views that I can see at the moment?

5. What could I be doing instead?

There is value in changing your mind.

Quitting is actually productive


"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself because you’re the easiest person to fool.”

You can’t get that time back and the worst thing you can do now is waste even more time.

Takeaway

<h2 aria-label="subtitle paragraph" data-selectable-paragraph="">I’m afraid it’s time to quit</h2><figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*kr7L3zUORJljm84GqjBkug" width="692" height="461"><figcaption class="iw ix em ek el iy iz cg b fl fm bw" data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Photo by <a class="au ja" href="https://www.pexels.com/@nicola-barts?utm_content=attributionCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=pexels" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" dir="ltr">Nicola Barts</a> from <a class="au ja" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/disappointed-black-businessman-bear-wall-7925788/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=pexels" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" dir="ltr">Pexels</a></figcaption></figure>Sometimes it’s better to be a quitter than to be a hero.Not many of us like the idea of quitting. It seems like something we should all be ashamed of. It slams a big ‘loser tag’ on our foreheads — “If you’re a quitter, you’re a loser.”Giving up passes a message that we’re failures. When people give up, it seems like they’ve accepted defeat as the only possible outcome.Common logic also suggests that quitting is tantamount to loosing while some people go as far as believing that people who give up will never become successful.But they are wrong.Sometimes giving up can be the best thing you can ever do for yourself — sometimes quitting is exactly what you should do.Want to know why? Ask yourself these 5 questions first.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">1. Why Am I doing this?</h1>Have you ever found yourself working so hard on something without knowing exactly why?Perhaps someone asked you to do it — they say it’s pretty cool if you did “this or that.” Or maybe everyone else is doing it — so, well, you don’t want to be the black sheep.It’s important to keep asking yourself why you’re doing the things you do.Why am I working on this? What’s this for? What’s the ultimate goal? How do I benefit from this? Why do it now?The deeper you probe, the clearer the picture gets.Knowing the answers to these questions will help you better understand the work itself.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">2. Is it working for me?</h1>Am I solving a problem by doing what I’m doing? Is what I’m doing helping me? Is it working for me?What’s even the problem?Am I a bit confused? Was something not possible before that should be possible now because of this?Do I have enough information to arrive at a decent conclusion?Sometimes when you ask yourself these questions, you’ll find you’re solving an imaginary problem. And yes, that’s when it’s time to stop and re-evaluate what the hell you’re doing.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">3. Is it really worth it?</h1>Is what I’m doing really worth it?Is all this sweat and blood worth the end result? Is it worth the sacrifice or is there a chance I might be hurting myself ultimately?Is it worth getting all stressed out just because I’m hell bent on meeting up to standard, or perhaps, outdoing my competitor.Am I putting my mental health at risk for something that could be finished some other time? Is all this worth the resources I’m sacrificing? Should I even be doing this at all?Determine the real value of what you’re about to do before taking the plunge.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">4. Is there an easier way?</h1>Whenever you’re working on something, ask yourself this: “Is there an easier way to do this?”You’ll often find that there’s always an opportunity for a new possibility. Problems are usually pretty simple. We just imagine that they require hard solutions.If you’re able to figure out a better, smarter and easier way to solve a problem or satisfy a need, you’ve not only made life easier for yourself, you’ve made life much better for the people around you too.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">5. What could I be doing instead?</h1>This is the deal-breaker question.What can’t you do because you’re doing this?Am I prioritizing effectively? Am I doing what’s best for me from all points of view? Or at least from all the views that I can see at the moment?If I work on A, can I still do B and C before December? If not, would I rather have B and C instead of A?Just have this in mind — if you’re stuck on something for a long period of time, that means there are other things you’re not getting done.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Quitting is actually productive</h1>There is value in changing your mind.According to Richard Feynman, “the first principle is that you must not fool yourself because you’re the easiest person to fool.”Ask yourself if you’re still gaining all the benefits you thought you will gain from doing what you're doing. And if not, then why are you sticking around?Don’t be a hero, sticking around a little longer doesn't help.Here’s an example.Let’s say you think a project can be done in 3 months, but 18 months into it, you’re only a quarter of the way done. The natural instinct is to think, “But I can’t give up now, I’ve already spent 18 months on this!”So you go into hero mode. You’re determined to make the project a success (and a bit embarrassed it’s not already working). You grab your cape and shut yourself off from the world.Don’t get me wrong — sometimes this kind of sheer effort overload works. But is it worth it?Probably not.The task was worth it when you thought it would cost 3 months, not 18. In those 18 months, you could have gotten a bunch of other useful things done. You could have created the best memory of your life, yet — but that didn’t happen.Plus, you cut yourself off from feedback, which can further lead you down the wrong path.Sometimes all we need is a fresh pair of eyes — someone else to give us a reality check.So here’s my point: if you already spent too much time on something that wasn’t worth it, please walk away.You can’t get that time back and the worst thing you can do now is waste even more time.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Here’s what to do when you’re thinking of quitting</h1>If you’re thinking of quitting, maybe because you’ve run out of motivation or you’re burnt out and at your lowest, you’re not lazy — your thoughts are actually valid.I came across a Quitting Framework from an incredible book by Steven Bartlett’s titled ‘Happy Sexy Millionaire.’It’s all about easy steps you can follow whenever you’re thinking about quitting.Take a look:<figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*J9hLzLNkbuUZLpsmEKV6Gg" width="700" height="488"><figcaption dir="auto">From “Happy Sexy Millionaire” by Steven Bartlett</figcaption></figure><h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Focus only on the things that are worth it</h1>You should be engaged in doing only work that matters.I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, you’re wasting your time on this planet if you’re not doing the things you love.I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but if you’re not doing work that matters to you, the obvious solution might very well be quitting.People automatically associate quitting with failure, but sometimes that’s exactly what you should do.Don’t live for what others think you should do. It’s totally okay if you won’t fit in. Just make sure you think for yourself.Life is short, put yourself first — and if it’s not worth it, it has no business with you.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Parting thoughts</h1>Giving up is not for losers — it’s actually for the braveIt takes a brave person to come to terms with the fact that things aren’t really working for best. It takes a brave person to give up all the invested time and effort in pursuit of a better cause.Brave people let go and move on.Sometimes an obvious solution is staring you right in the face, but you can’t even see it. Sometimes abandoning what you’re working on is the right move, even if you’ve already put in a lot of effort.Don’t throw good time after bad work.So, cheers to cutting off all the nonsense and getting the most important things done.Good luck.

Not many of us like the idea of quitting. It seems like something we should all be ashamed of. It slams a big ‘loser tag’ on our foreheads — “If you’re a quitter, you’re a loser.” Giving up passes a…

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Sometimes it’s better to be a quitter than to be a hero.

Not many of us like the idea of quitting. It seems like something we should all be ashamed of. It slams a big ‘loser tag’ on our foreheads — “If you’re a quitter, you’re a loser.”

Giving up passes a message that we’re failures. When people give up, it seems like they’ve accepted defeat as the only possible outcome.

Common logic also suggests that quitting is tantamount to loosing while some people go as far as believing that people who give up will never become successful.

Sometimes giving up can be the best thing you can ever do for yourself — sometimes quitting is exactly what you should do.

Want to know why? Ask yourself these 5 questions first.

Have you ever found yourself working so hard on something without knowing exactly why?

Perhaps someone asked you to do it — they say it’s pretty cool if you did “this or that .” Or maybe everyone else is doing it — so, well, you don’t want to be the black sheep.

It’s important to keep asking yourself why you’re doing the things you do.

Why am I working on this? What’s this for? What’s the ultimate goal? How do I benefit from this? Why do it now?

The deeper you probe, the clearer the picture gets.

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you better understand the work itself.

Am I solving a problem by doing what I’m doing? Is what I’m doing helping me? Is it working for me?

Am I a bit confused? Was something not possible before that should be possible now because of this?

Do I have enough information to arrive at a decent conclusion?

Sometimes when you ask yourself these questions, you’ll find you’re solving an imaginary problem. And yes, that’s when it’s time to stop and re-evaluate what the hell you’re doing.

Is what I’m doing really worth it?

Is all this sweat and blood worth the end result? Is it worth the sacrifice or is there a chance I might be hurting myself ultimately?

Is it worth getting all stressed out just because I’m hell bent on meeting up to standard, or perhaps, outdoing my competitor.

Am I putting my mental health at risk for something that could be finished some other time? Is all this worth the resources I’m sacrificing? Should I even be doing this at all?

Determine the real value of what you’re about to do before taking the plunge.

Whenever you’re working on something, ask yourself this: “Is there an easier way to do this?”

You’ll often find that there’s always an opportunity for a new possibility. Problems are usually pretty simple. We just imagine that they require hard solutions.

If you’re able to figure out a better, smarter and easier way to solve a problem or satisfy a need, you’ve not only made life easier for yourself, you’ve made life much better for the people around you too.

This is the deal-breaker question.

What can’t you do because you’re doing this?

Am I prioritizing effectively? Am I doing what’s best for me from all points of view? Or at least from all the views that I can see at the moment?

If I work on A, can I still do B and C before December? If not, would I rather have B and C instead of A?

Just have this in mind — if you’re stuck on something for a long period of time, that means there are other things you’re not getting done.

There is value in changing your mind.

According to Richard Feynman, “the first principle is that you must not fool yourself because you’re the easiest person to fool.”

Ask yourself if you’re still gaining all the benefits you thought you will gain from doing what you're doing. And if not, then why are you sticking around?

Don’t be a hero, sticking around a little longer doesn't help.

Let’s say you think a project can be done in 3 months, but 18 months into it, you’re only a quarter of the way done. The natural instinct is to think, “But I can’t give up now, I’ve already spent 18 months on this!”

So you go into hero mode. You’re determined to make the project a success (and a bit embarrassed it’s not already working). You grab your cape and shut yourself off from the world.

Don’t get me wrong — sometimes this kind of sheer effort overload works. But is it worth it?

The task was worth it when you thought it would cost 3 months, not 18. In those 18 months, you could have gotten a bunch of other useful things done. You could have created the best memory of your life, yet — but that didn’t happen.

Plus, you cut yourself off from feedback, which can further lead you down the wrong path.

Sometimes all we need is a fresh pair of eyes — someone else to give us a reality check.

So here’s my point: if you already spent too much time on something that wasn’t worth it, please walk away.

You can’t get that time back and the worst thing you can do now is waste even more time.

Here’s what to do when you’re thinking of quitting

If you’re thinking of quitting, maybe because you’ve run out of motivation or you’re burnt out and at your lowest, you’re not lazy — your thoughts are actually valid.

I came across a Quitting Framework from an incredible book by Steven Bartlett’s titled ‘Happy Sexy Millionaire .’

It’s all about easy steps you can follow whenever you’re thinking about quitting.

Focus only on the things that are worth it

You should be engaged in doing only work that matters.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, you’re wasting your time on this planet if you’re not doing the things you love .

I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but if you’re not doing work that matters to you, the obvious solution might very well be quitting.

People automatically associate quitting with failure, but sometimes that’s exactly what you should do.

Don’t live for what others think you should do. It’s totally okay if you won’t fit in. Just make sure you think for yourself.

Life is short, put yourself first — and if it’s not worth it, it has no business with you.

Giving up is not for losers — it’s actually for the brave

It takes a brave person to come to terms with the fact that things aren’t really working for best. It takes a brave person to give up all the invested time and effort in pursuit of a better cause.

Sometimes an obvious solution is staring you right in the face, but you can’t even see it. Sometimes abandoning what you’re working on is the right move, even if you’ve already put in a lot of effort.

Don’t throw good time after bad work.

So, cheers to cutting off all the nonsense and getting the most important things done.

Here’s Why You Should Give Up On Your Dreams

The reason

1. Why Am I doing this?

2. Is it working for me?

3. Is it really worth it?

4. Is there an easier way?

5. What could I be doing instead?

Quitting is actually productive

RICHARD FEYNMAN

Takeaway

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