Change Your Thinking About Quitting

Nobody likes a quitter

You never have to be a quitter again.

I am steadfast in my assertion that I am not a quitter.

When I was younger, I would be embarrassed, judge myself harshly, and beat myself up mentally for not seeing something through to the end. I hated being a quitter.

So, now I am not a quitter.

I swear, I’m not.

You don’t have to be.

This is not exclusive to me, my life, or even how my brain works. Literally, every single person in the world can stop tagging themselves a quitter upon any incident.

It doesn’t feel good to think of yourself as one and it erodes your self-esteem. Remove ‘quitter’ from your vocabulary if you have to.

I wasn’t normally a quitter simply because ‘Nobody likes a quitter,’ but probably more so because I’m an obsessively organized, perfectionist, Virgo female born in the year of the Dragon, with type A tendencies. I almost always have a plan and quitting was never on my list.

I now tag myself as ‘A- tendencies’ because, thankfully, I’m not as hyper-focus driven anymore to qualify as a full-fledged Type A. I’ve softened as life kept punching me in the head to remind of what is really important; it wasn’t my need to trail-blaze and get others out of my way.

I no longer feel a need to prove how right I am. I’m good at knowing it in my head. I also have a receptiveness that grew over time, which allows me to take in, and factor in, additional information. I can freely change my mind about my original stance based on new data.

I used to have research at the ready to prove any point I made. I was annoying. I loved being able to back up my words and had little patience with those who challenged me on my intelligence about something I knew inside and out. Because I was a researcher, you know. I had ammunition to fight a good intellectual fight of my choosing.

I lowered my bar on perfection, too. Now I am happy when I’ve tried my best and something is at least good, or far from horrible. It took me time to applaud myself for trying and recognizing I am not a horrible human if things aren’t perfect.

And even though I am no longer that tightly wound person, I still don’t quit. Just because I don’t strive for perfection doesn’t mean I quit trying my best.

Quitting is not negative, but the word denotes a sense of defeat.

Here’s the Twist

My quitting concept now comes in a much better wrapping, and I want to share.

Losers quit, right?

Not so fast.

You can take the action of walking away from something, stopping a behavior, or leave a job, all without quitting.

What did I do?

I changed my thinking, my internal dialogue, and my presentation to others a little over 7 years ago. Once I did, the feeling was so amazing that I was hooked on viewing all of my actions through this same microscope.

Did I quit smoking 7 years ago? Some would say I did.

What I immediately explained, and this set the pace for my future of continued positivity, was that I actually did not quit. I simply haven’t had a cigarette for 7 years because I stopped smoking.

If I want a cigarette, I certainly can have one. I choose not to because I can make choices for myself.

No quitter am I. I didn’t want to feel even worse about myself.

So, I turned the potentially defeatist mentality into a POWERFUL assertion that I get to make my decisions. It was an odd sense of actually feeling stronger.

The action didn’t change. My viewpoint on it did.

This became a mindset that crept into everything.

I hold the power over my decisions.

Did I ever quit a job? Nope.

I chose not to continue with certain employments that were no longer in my best interest. I gave proper notice and proudly went on my way.

When someone challenges my intelligence on a topic I’ve studied through and through, I don’t quit engaging with them. I will choose to discontinue the conversations that become argumentative. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone anymore.

That is a peaceful feeling.

Take My Concept for a Test Drive

Change your slant on words and you change yourself.

You will experience a higher sense of self-worth and self-esteem when you acknowledge you are in control of you.

No longer focus on the dark skies of defeat; your view can be on the hope offered by the rainbow.

You hold the power of decisions.

May you never quit again.