What To Do When You Want to Quit

Lately, I have seen a lot of friends of mine on social media talking about quitting. Amazing women who are feeling torn about their blog, their Etsy shops or creative endeavors, exhausted mommas who are thinking about giving up on homeschooling, etc. Not sure what is going on, but there is definitely a deluge of defeated status updates on my Facebook feed lately. Which breaks my heart.

We’ve all been there. Sick of working hard but seeing little reward. Comparing yourself to others. But before you throw in the towel, let’s talk about it. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s have a virtual chat.

What to do when you want to quit:

1. Take a break: If you can, step back from the thing you are thinking of quitting. If it’s your blog, step away for a few days. It will be waiting for you when, or if, you decide to come back. If you feel like you can’t take another day at your job, burn a few vacation days.

2. Remember WHY: Why did you take on this task in the first place? What was your original goal? Have you stayed on the same track or has that goal changed? Do you want something different? If you were passionate enough to start this endeavor there had to be a good reason. Did it make you happy? Bring you fulfillment? Remind yourself WHY.

3. Pinpoint the Problem: When did you start feeling like you wanted to quit? Maybe you weren’t meeting your goals, perhaps you found a person doing something similar… and started to feel like they are doing it better than you are. (this is a common quit-inducer, thanks to social media!) Be honest with yourself here, what REALLY made you think about giving up? Was it a legit reason, or did you simply start to doubt yourself?

4. List Your Successes: You may be having a bad run now, but I am sure there is an even longer list of successes. Write out or make a mental list of all the awesome things that have come out of what you are doing. When did you feel great about it, and what do you need to do to bring that feeling back?

5. Imagine Life Without It: Will quitting leave you with less money? More time? If you walked away would you feel regret? Imagine what life would really be like if you quit.

6. Create a Timeline: After doing all of the above, create a timeline. You shouldn’t make big decisions when you are emotional or anxious. Reevaluate your goals, and if you strayed from your original plan for whatever reason, now is the time to go back. For example, if you are a blogger who wanted to write about makeup, but then felt like you had to add fashion into the mix.. maybe your goal should be to go back to your original plan.

 

Final Thoughts

When going for something you REALLY want, there is bound to be bumps in the road. I encourage you to stick it out. You see, I think you are fabulous and WORTHY of the goals you are going after. Remind yourself why you started, stick to your own path and don’t worry about what other people are doing. You’ve got this!