What You Must do If you want to Quit (A 2022 Quitters Guide)

I'm having difficulty today. If you've ever tried to stay consistent with anything you care about, my issue may be familiar to you.

Since November 12, 2012, it has been 939 days. That was about 2 years and 7 months ago when I first published an essay on my blog. Every Monday and Thursday for the past 939 usually lovely, sometimes trying days, I've posted a new post. Week in and week out. Month after month. Year in and year out.

I'm tempted to give up today.

But what about today? Today, though, I am having difficulty. I don't feel like writing today. I don't feel like keeping to my schedule today. Today, I don't have any great ideas, and I don't have enough time to make the decent ideas great. Today I want to give up.

According to University of Pennsylvania research, grit is the trait most closely associated with success. Today I could use some grit.

Here's what I try to remind myself of when I want to give up...

Your Brain Is a Suggestion Machine

Consider each concept as a suggestion, not an order. My mind is telling me that I'm exhausted right now. It implies that I quit up. It is advising me to choose a simpler route.

However, if I wait for a bit, I can come up with fresh ideas. My thinking also suggests that after this task is completed, I will feel extremely good about myself. It implies that if I keep to the timetable, I will respect the identity I am developing. It implies that I have the ability to complete this activity even when I don't feel like it.

Keep in mind that none of these recommendations are commands. They are simply alternatives. I have the authority to pick which alternative I will pursue.

Temporary Discomfort

Almost every habit you conduct is over fast in comparison to the time in your usual day or week. Your workout will take around an hour or two to complete. Your report will be finished by tomorrow morning. This post will be completed in a matter of seconds.

Life is now simpler than it has ever been. You would have died 300 years ago if you didn't kill your own food and build your own dwelling. Today, we moan about having forgotten our iPhone charger.

Keep things in perspective. Your life is wonderful, and your suffering is just fleeting. Allow yourself to be strengthened by this uncomfortable moment.

You will never be sorry for doing good work.

"Far and away the finest gift that life has to offer is the opportunity to work hard at job worth doing," stated Theodore Roosevelt.

So frequently, it appears that we desire to work effortlessly at job that is worthwhile. We want our job to be useful and appreciated, but we don't want to fight with it. We want to have flat stomachs and powerful arms, but we don't want to go through another workout. We want the end outcome, not the unsuccessful attempts that lead up to it. We want the gold, not the struggle.

A gold medal may be desired by anyone. Few individuals aspire to train like Olympians.

Despite our opposition, I have never found myself feeling worse when the hard task was over. There were days when it was difficult to begin, but it was always worthwhile to complete. Sometimes just turning up and having the confidence to perform the task, even if it is mediocre, is an accomplishment worth celebrating.

This Is Your Life

Life is a perpetual struggle between succumbing to the ease of distraction and mastering the agony of discipline. It is not an exaggeration to argue that this delicate balance defines our lives and identities. What is life, if not the sum of a hundred thousand daily struggles and little decisions to either fight or surrender?

This time when you don't want to do the work? This is not a chance to squander. This is not a practice run. This moment is as much a part of your life as any other. Spend it on something that will make you proud.

Allow the World to Decide

So, what do I do when I want to give up? I arrive.

Do I give it my all? I have my doubts. But it's not my responsibility to assess how excellent or horrible I am.

My role is to complete the task and then let the rest of the world decide.