Don't Be Afraid To Quit
“Don’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it.”
You've probably heard that "winners never quit," but that isn't true. Winners quit things all the time. They quit strategies that aren't working and they quit goals that are no longer meaningful or appealing. Knowing when to quit is a very valuable skill.
Many of us were taught that quitting is a moral failing; a sign that we lack determination and ambition. However, that line of thinking keeps lots of us in places and with people that are no good for us. Perseverance is admirable but changing your path based on new information (aka knowing when to quit) is also admirable. In fact, most of us would call that wisdom and maturity.
Another thing that keeps lots of us from quitting is the sunk cost fallacy. This is the idea that, because we invested a lot of time, energy, and/or money into something, we should stick with it. It is a fallacy because, although the resources we already expended are unrecoverable, we get to decide whether expending more time, energy, and/or money is worth it. For instance, if you've spent 5 years trying to nurture a friendship that continues to be one-sided, investing more time likely won't change the outcome and will definitely waste more of your time. In that situation, quitting is the best thing you can do for yourself. By quitting stagnant or harmful situations, you get to invest your emotional and mental resources where they will benefit you.
So is there anything you've been afraid to quit? What are the signs that you should quit instead of persevering?
