Knowing When to Quit

The other week we talked about the difficulty some people face in getting started in taking action in life. The lack of goals is one of the problems many people have in getting motivated. However, for people with goals that are driven to succeed they can face the problem of knowing when to say enough is enough and to quit.

Now before we go to much further I think it is important to understand that quitting does not mean failure. People need to know when to stop for two basic reasons, 1) they have achieved their goal, or 2) what they have been trying is not working and they need to re-evaluate their approach. Unfortunately while quitting isn’t failing not knowing when to quit is.

Let’s look at the first group of people, the they have achieved their goals group. These people have trouble, not in recognising that they have obtained their goals but in letting them go. Because a lot of people get so focused on their goals it becomes a major part of their life. When the goal is achieved in then means that they now have nothing to do or focus on. They can become aimless and depressed so they refocus back on what their achieved goal and keep going back over the same old thing. Lance Armstrong and Tony Lockett are people that have achieved their goals but have now have nothing to move onto so they try to recapture their former glory. They need to set new goals and set new challenges so they do more in their lives. The same goes for the everyday person, be happy that you have achieved you goal, let it go, set an new one and move on.

The second group are, of course, the people who fail to recognise that their current approach is not working. These people continue to go at their task hammer and tong failing to notice if they are achieving anything for their efforts. This group think that if they just continue down the same old path that someday everything will be better. Unfortunately these people are so determined to achieve their goal that they can’t let it go. It has become such a need that they will try forever to obtain it, even if it is forever out of reach. This group needs to know when something can’t be done, be happy with their progress and with what they have learned on their journey and take that to a new project or a new approach to an old problem.

I have been through so many situations in both categories it has been unbelievable. Finally I realised that I needed to change my ways, be pleased that I had achieved my goals, let go of some that were not working and change my approach to others. When I did that I found that my life was instantly better as I wasn’t chasing my tale and worrying about things that I would never achieve. Now I just take what I have learned from my mistakes and success and apply them to something new, helping me to be more successful.

I know if you learn to recognise when to quit you will be happier too. Be prepared and brave enough to say I have had enough, or this is not working. Learn from your efforts and move on. I know you have the ability to do this. You are all smart enough and I do believe in you.

And with that in mind it is now time to quit for this week. Talk to you next week.

Terry Shadwell

P.S. I have decided to quit what I was doing on my web page, take what I have learned and start again. The free tools, videos and books are still there but will be gone in a month, so be quick. www.livingyourdreams.webcitypro.com