Giving Yourself Permission to Quit
Why quitting may be just the right answer “I quit.”
How many times in your life have you imagined saying those words? Maybe you’ve daydreamed of marching into your overbearing boss’s office and throwing the words directly into her smug little face.
Or maybe instead, you picture using the phrase in a different way: announcing happily to your kids, “I quit!” smoking/drinking/yelling … and they know you really mean it. Maybe you’ve always wanted to do something that would change your life: leave your job to pursue a passion for writing, stop shopping mindlessly and save money to finally travel, give up calling yourself names and putting yourself down because you aren’t the artist that so-in-so is.
How many times instead, do we put on a brave face? Put our nose back to the grindstone (or revert to the behavior that feels comfortable and familiar, even though we know it’s not what we want deep down), in order to just keep moving? To feel like we’re doing something. Anything.
This bracelet couldn't have said it better ... I'm quitting I’ve been doing this for the past couple of months. A series of negative events—none of them life-threatening but all of them stress-inducing—have sent me pretty close to the edges of my comfort zone. And rather than acknowledge that I’m hurting, that I need help, that I’m tired—I’ve put my head down, plowed onward. Because that’s what strong people do, right?
Don’t worry, I wasn’t a martyr. I spent lots of time complaining (to myself, to God, to close friends and my poor family) but ultimately, I’ve chose to believe the (false) hope that this is just a rough patch. That things will soon be looking up. That I don't need to do anything differently, just keep going.
But last week I acknowledged something important: Things suck right now. I’m spent. And I’m quitting.
What I'm giving up I’m not giving up my career, but I am looking at a different way to do things. Feeling deep dread when you imagine yourself starting your work day is a sign that something is off. Feeling your shoulders creeping up to your ears while feverishly composing (hopefully) witty posts for social networking sites isn’t healthy. Carrying on a mental dialogue that sounds like the boss-from-hell is sitting on your shoulder, finding fault with every creative attempt you make is discouraging.
All of these things tell me one thing: I need a break. Rest. Time to re-group.
I’m not sure yet what that looks like. It definitely doesn’t mean that I won’t be posting here any longer. This blog is one of my favorite writing outlets and I appreciate the interaction with you, dear readers, too much to let it go.
It may mean that other parts of my life simply need more attention. While I’m very good at making sure my “have to’s” are taken care of daily, I don’t spend a lot of time or money on frivolous things—things that are fun and silly and make me laugh. And I'll be the first to admit that I LOVE fun, frivolous, silly things. Things that aren’t “necessary,” at least on the surface.
And really, is the point of life to take everything seriously? To work, work, work until you collapse into your grave? Good grief, I hope not!
What are your thought on this? What would you secretly like to “quit?” Is there a person or situation that drains you that you’d like to let go of, at least for a period of time? I’d love to hear about this in the comments section.
***Signed up for the Newsletter for Writers yet? It comes out twice a month and is packed with information, inspiration and education to empower writers. Get on the list in less than a minute and receive my free 7 Ways to Find Time to Write guide.
How many times in your life have you imagined saying those words? Maybe you’ve daydreamed of marching into your overbearing boss’s office and throwing the words directly into her smug little face.
Or maybe instead, you picture using the phrase in a different way: announcing happily to your kids, “I quit!” smoking/drinking/yelling … and they know you really mean it. Maybe you’ve always wanted to do something that would change your life: leave your job to pursue a passion for writing, stop shopping mindlessly and save money to finally travel, give up calling yourself names and putting yourself down because you aren’t the artist that so-in-so is.
How many times instead, do we put on a brave face? Put our nose back to the grindstone (or revert to the behavior that feels comfortable and familiar, even though we know it’s not what we want deep down), in order to just keep moving? To feel like we’re doing something. Anything.
This bracelet couldn't have said it better ... I'm quitting I’ve been doing this for the past couple of months. A series of negative events—none of them life-threatening but all of them stress-inducing—have sent me pretty close to the edges of my comfort zone. And rather than acknowledge that I’m hurting, that I need help, that I’m tired—I’ve put my head down, plowed onward. Because that’s what strong people do, right? Don’t worry, I wasn’t a martyr. I spent lots of time complaining (to myself, to God, to close friends and my poor family) but ultimately, I’ve chose to believe the (false) hope that this is just a rough patch. That things will soon be looking up. That I don't need to do anything differently, just keep going.
But last week I acknowledged something important: Things suck right now. I’m spent. And I’m quitting.
What I'm giving up I’m not giving up my career, but I am looking at a different way to do things. Feeling deep dread when you imagine yourself starting your work day is a sign that something is off. Feeling your shoulders creeping up to your ears while feverishly composing (hopefully) witty posts for social networking sites isn’t healthy. Carrying on a mental dialogue that sounds like the boss-from-hell is sitting on your shoulder, finding fault with every creative attempt you make is discouraging.
All of these things tell me one thing: I need a break. Rest. Time to re-group.
I’m not sure yet what that looks like. It definitely doesn’t mean that I won’t be posting here any longer. This blog is one of my favorite writing outlets and I appreciate the interaction with you, dear readers, too much to let it go.
It may mean that other parts of my life simply need more attention. While I’m very good at making sure my “have to’s” are taken care of daily, I don’t spend a lot of time or money on frivolous things—things that are fun and silly and make me laugh. And I'll be the first to admit that I LOVE fun, frivolous, silly things. Things that aren’t “necessary,” at least on the surface.
And really, is the point of life to take everything seriously? To work, work, work until you collapse into your grave? Good grief, I hope not!
What are your thought on this? What would you secretly like to “quit?” Is there a person or situation that drains you that you’d like to let go of, at least for a period of time? I’d love to hear about this in the comments section.
***Signed up for the Newsletter for Writers yet? It comes out twice a month and is packed with information, inspiration and education to empower writers. Get on the list in less than a minute and receive my free 7 Ways to Find Time to Write guide.
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