Note: Now, when you hear people say, I feel like giving up sadly, a lot of people jump to the wrong conclusion in thinking that means suicide in this instance, that is the farthest from my meaning. If you feel like getting off that particular bus of life, please call the international crisis lifeline at 988.
Now, giving up means that I’m referring to you having a big project that you have been pursuing for months, if not years. Do you quit that? When do you stop gathering your resources and try something else? You have heard from me and from other people that quitting is the only form of failure. And I still believe that. But at the same time, you do not want to continually bash your head against a wall if you’re not getting anywhere. So what do you do?
If you want to find your strength and your drive, then there are times when you have to stop and try something different.
Is it quitting?
So, when is quitting not quitting? How do you determine when you need to go on a different path? And is that different path, actually quitting?
As everything is not straightforward, you can determine what the answer is by doing some thought work. Why are you wanting to quit your project? Are the thoughts behind you wanting to quit clean thoughts, or are they full of pain and hurt?
There are big differences between having clean thoughts and thoughts about quitting this project strictly because you’re not happy. If you want to drop a project simply because you’re not happy or because you are struggling too much, then you want to examine your thoughts. This is because you will continue to face that problem every single time you are faced with the same problem again. Yet if you have good, clean thoughts about leaving this project, then it’s very possible this project has run its course or very well. It may just need to be put on the back burner for the time being.
Just because you stop doing something for a little bit, doesn’t mean that you have quit. I’ve known many people who have stepped away for a while just to re-examine where they’re at in their life, and then decided they need to go back into where they left, and they picked right back up where they were, and suddenly the pieces they were missing fell into place.
Are you giving your mind something else to focus on?
Another reason to put a pause on the project you’re working on is maybe because you have been so consumed by that project that you have left so many things that are also important in your life, and have become neglected.
I know I have done this many times over the past seven years as a Relaxed Male. There are times that I didn’t mow the lawn, didn’t do needed repairs, let things go, avoided items that would draw my attention away, all because I was afraid I would lose momentum. I was getting so much closer to the business that I wanted. I have yet to fully get to that level, so I would focus on the business and neglect the needed relationships. I would neglect work that needed to be done elsewhere in my life.
There’s a good chance you’re in something very similar to this also. You have pushed and pushed and pushed to get your project accomplished but yet you’re missing something and neglecting other things, so stepping back and doing a 5 x 5 does several things for you.
Yes, you lose momentum, however, you know how to regain that momentum fairly quickly. You also give your mind a chance to work on something refreshing and different. You give your mind the power to try new things. It’s almost like having a different dish after eating the same thing for a month in a row. It just tastes a little bit better simply because it’s new.
So it’s not wrong to pause your project or to even completely walk away because you’re giving your mind something else to focus on and to learn a new skill that’s needed, so you have what’s needed to accomplish your purpose.
Sometimes quitting is the answer.
Yes, there are times when just taking everything you packed up, all the work, all the money that you’ve invested everything about your project, and it needs to just be closed. Maybe you sell the intellectual property that you’ve done, or maybe you give it away; what you do with it is completely up to you. Maybe you take it and you apply the skills you’ve had to a different project. But the key to letting go is knowing why you’re letting go. Do you understand what holding you back may be the thing that you’re truly striving for? So, letting go and quitting may actually be the answer to your problem.
This doesn’t mean that you’re never doing anything ever again. This means that you’re just taking a different path. You may find yourself back on the path of doing what you’re doing now, you just need to learn a new set of skills to get further down the road. You may have needed some more revenue so that you can invest more in your business.
It may be that you have just completely exhausted the path that you’re on, and it’s time to find a new path. All of these are possibilities, and there are more possibilities that you could face.
When do you give up?
Well, I don’t believe you fully ever give up on a business. Because there are aspects about that business that you will always learn, and you will always grow from. To take the lessons you have learned and apply them to any new endeavor you do in the future. Does that really mean you gave up? I personally don’t believe that’s the case. I think that if you’re still applying your thoughts, your mind, your energy, too, to a purpose that you have, then you are well on your way to finding the gold that you’re digging for. You will attain the diamonds that you have been searching for. There is nothing wrong with changing your path, there’s nothing wrong with going at life from a different angle. That is the fun part of life, you get the choice of deciding. Do you wanna go one way or the other? So what do you wanna do? When do you give up? You don’t give up, you keep pressing, you may not do the same thing, but you will apply it repeatedly each and every time.
