A couple of paragraphs on quitting.

(I am incredibly biased about the Quitter Conference. I think you should go! James who wrote today’s post? He’s a guy who had never heard of the conference and didn’t want to read the book. Here’s what happened when he attended the Quitter Conference in February of this year.)

Quitter, quitting, quit . . . words that have such a negative tone for most people that hear them. I felt the same way until I got a wake-up call earlier this year while in the midst of a season filled with wishing, wanting, complaining, hoping and soul-searching.

I wanted so badly to follow the dream that God had placed in my heart, or at least a dream I believed He had placed there. I have a job that pays well, provides good benefits and is located close to home, close to my wife’s private practice and close to my friends. It just isn’t the job that I want to do for the rest of my life.

It was easy for me to articulate what the dream job would be to my mentors, to my family, to my closest friends and even to myself. The problem was, it was just words with some grumbling and dissatisfaction thrown in.

I think God (and my friends and family as well) grew weary of my complaining and hopeful talk so a door opened that would provide the kick start I needed to stop talking and begin doing.

First, my wife read the book Quitter and declared I should immediately read it. I didn’t read it. Second, my good friend Manny Martinez (CEO of Hello Somebody) offered me the opportunity to attend the Quitter Conference in February of this year as his guest. I realized this was a chance that I needed to grab onto.

I gladly and thankfully accepted while rushing home to read Quitter in the week I had to prepare for the conference. Once at the conference, having Jon bring the book to life and also hearing others going through the same things as I had made me realize I needed to make my dream more than words I shared with people.

After the conference, I started a company and hoped I could get a client to actually pay me for my services. Amazingly, I got a client and worked on the project in the time I had outside of my 40 hour/week job. I finished the project and was thrilled to have actually walked the dream out.

Today, I am still at my day job but was just asked to become a partner in a new venture with someone I respect greatly. I never imagined I would have the opportunity to not only work with this person but to be asked to become their business partner. It was a huge surprise and incredible opportunity.

Quitter and the Quitter Conference are not about quitting a job but rather quitting the cycle of wishing, hoping and talking about the dream so you can begin the work of living the dream. I encourage anyone that is searching or knows someone that is searching for how to pursue their dream to read Quitter and to attend the conference. I promise it will be a life-changing event to can be the catalyst to living that dream.