Sometimes it is okay and important to quit!

What?

Did I just tell you to quit?

What about all the famous quotes that preaches the virtues of persistence and the evils of quitting?

Such as…

Winners never quit and quitters never win?!

That quote is true… but it is true depending only on your situation.

There are only 3 situations in the world and each situation has a different outcome. In every situation in your life you are in either 1 of these 3 situations:

1) POT OF GOLD

– The Outcome is a Positive Long Term Reward (a Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow.)

– The rewards are tremendous and justify the resources that you invest. Some examples are staying focused in school so that you graduate, taking time everyday to exercise, being committed to your network marketing home business, etc.

2) DEAD END ROAD

– There is NO Outcome.

– There are hardly any rewards and you are going down a dead end road. Some examples could be working at a job that goes nowhere, spending time in a relationship that has no long term future, spending time watching TV.

3) DRASTIC DEATH

– Outcome is Negative.

– If you continue in these situations, you will encounter a negative and drastic outcome. Some examples are smoking, spending time on illegal activities, taking drugs, etc.

If you look at these scenarios then it is obvious that it is CRITICAL that we quit situations DEAD END ROAD and DRASTIC DEATH. Those situations and activities lead us to nowhere. Quitting DRASTIC DEATH scenarios are obvious but quitting DEAD END ROAD scenarios are equally important because they take our time and attention away from our POT OF GOLDs. Unfortunately, we often forget about DEAD END ROAD and waste years of our lives going nowhere.

And POT OF GOLDs scenarios are the ones that we must persist and continue to fight through because the ultimate reward is worth it. So the quote, “Winners never quit and quitters never win” only apply to POT OF GOLDs.

Now you can start analyzing the different scenarios in your life and decide what you need to continue and persist doing and what things you need to quit.

Short Term Long Term

When you do decide to quit, always make sure you are quitting for a LONG TERM reason and not for a SHORT TERM reason. Just because things are painful and you can’t figure out a problem does not justify quitting. If the outcome is a long term positive reward, you have to suck it up and persist. Stay focused on the problem and have the satisfaction of knowing that if you solve the problem and get through your current crisis, you will soon see the POT OF GOLDs at the end of the rainbow.

However, if what you are doing will lead to a long term negative outcome, then you must quit now!

NEXT STEPS: So what will you be Quitting Today?

– Make a list of 10 activities that you spend the most time on.

– Classify each activities to the 3 Scenarios:

Which activities are POT OF GOLDs? Which activities are DEAD END ROADs and which ones are DRASTIC DEATHs?

– Make a commitment to persist and stay focused on your POT OF GOLDs.

– Come up with a Quitting Plan for your DEAD END ROADs and DRASTIC DEATHs. Set up a time and a date for each. (If you are in a dead end job, give yourself a deadline to quit your current job.)

– Once you quit your DEAD END ROADs and DRASTIC DEATHs, you will be relieved and also find more time and energy to focus on your POT OF GOLDs

What do think?

Please comment below and let me know if you agree or disagree.

Simon Chan