Step#6 Quit strategically
Winners never quit. This seems to be a mantra for people who are determined to accomplish their goals no matter what. Turns out, this is unwise.
There are some situations where you may need to let go of your goals, perhaps because they’re too expensive, they affect other areas of your life, or take too much of your time at the expense of other priorities.
Life is a buffet filled with experiences. You might not enjoy eating only desserts to replace a meal!
Does it mean you can quit all the time? No, certainly not.
That’s not what I’m saying. That’s called “serial quitting,” which is simply stopping everything we start and finding the next shiny goal to follow. In Sanskrit, there’s a word Arambhashura, which means, “hero at the beginning”—someone who tiptoes out the backdoor after starting a new affair with a fanfare of trumpets.
That’s immature and childish. I’m asking you to embrace “strategic quitting.” This means you consider all your options and gracefully exit the race, knowing you’re not ready to invest more energy in the pursuit anymore.
With strategic quitting, you have a team to support you: your coach, family, and close friends. They are by your side to review what’s at stake and tell you the truth. They know you’ll fail even when you achieve the goal. This is particularly true for goals that affect your relationships.
If you’re faced with such a situation, go back to your why. Reflect on the importance of your goal relative to the larger goals of your life. Would you regret missing this goal? Or would you regret achieving this goal at the expense of other goals? When in doubt, write things out—on paper.
We all have a finite amount of time and energy. Invest them in the best projects of your life. You need to be ruthless in prioritizing. And be ready to let go of small gemstones to focus on grand diamonds in your life.
You can enlist support from your coach, mentor, or a family member to discuss your plan and arrive at a decision. If you still want to persist, go ahead. You have done the analysis and you know you’re minimizing regrets in your life. So, go ahead. Good luck and Godspeed.
However, if you decide to exit gracefully, stop pursuing the goal. It may hurt temporarily, but it’s a wise decision in the long run. The key is to find other goals to keep yourself focused and productive.
Life is an adventure. You could do so many things. The sky’s the limit, so find something else that piques your interest and passion and put that on your list. Or pick a new item from your goal list, if you have one!
“You have to know when to quit. Know when to walk away. When the time comes, it’s not going to be easy, but you have to do it for yourself.” - Unknown