Is Seeing Things Through Always the Right Thing to Do?
If you had parents who tried to instill you with positive values, you probably heard things like “You’ve got to honor your commitments” and “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” It’s no surprise that people with this type of mindset are far more likely to succeed than those who give up.
It’s the old story of the grasshopper and the ant. But nothing is true 100% of the time. Sometimes it is better to walk away. So, how you do know when to say when?
The Fascinating Difference Between Letting Go and Quitting
Quitting is walking away from something that still has potential in it or is unfinished. Quitting can feel like losing and lead to regret.Letting go is a strategic choice. It comes from weighing options and deciding that moving forward will cost too much to gain too little. This realization may not make you happy, but it doesn’t tend to leave you with regret.Sticking to something at any cost to avoid quitting can lead to victory, but the victory may come at the cost of your health, work/life balance, relationship satisfaction, family time, self-esteem, and other things that are priceless.Letting go of something because it comes at too high a cost to things that are priceless can increase your self-esteem and life satisfaction.Never giving up can be a way to try to deny that everything changes and everything ends.Letting go can be a way of honoring life’s endings.Quitting keeps you from succeeding.Letting go opens up opportunities for you to succeed in a new way.
A long time ago, I gave up on rules. I learned that there are exceptions to everything. To figure out what to do, I began to use effectiveness as my ruler. “Effective” means what works for this situation. Using this as a guide removes any judgment from walking away from situations and may make it easier to move on.