There is a popular saying that “Winners don’t Quit, and Quitters don’t Win”, that is only half true. The fact is every winner has quit at one thing or the other in her or his life. We cannot do all things well, we simply can’t. Actually, to be a winner, you have to quit some things in your life and place your focus on worthwhile endeavors. During my studies at Stanford University, there is a popular saying over there, “Fail early, Fail often, to Succeed sooner.” The question is how do we know what to quit and what to persevere in.
These 5 Steps will help you identify when it’s time to quit versus stubborn persistence
- Are you making progress: This is one of the most important ways to know if you should persist at something or quit. If year after year, you are not growing, if you are not making any progress in your endeavor, relationship etc, If you are not moving closer and closer to your eventual goal, then it might be time to call it quits. Why keep knocking on a closed door, when the window is open? -Bisi Onitiri.
- When you are at the pinnacle: This is perhaps the hardest to do, but it is worth taking note. Leaving when you are at the top of your game might be a good reason to quit something. Take for example, Michael Jordan, George Washington, Jack Welch. Leaving at the top gives you the opportunity to build something else that could add meaning to your life.
- The Eulogy test: This is mostly used as a theoretical way of knowing when to quit an endeavor. If you were to die in the next few months, would you be proud of your decision to stick it through or call it quits? If this was your “Life’s Work”, would you consider it worthwhile? What impact are you making? Could you regret the decision to stick it through or would you definitely regret it?
- If your assumptions were wrong: As said earlier, at the Stanford University’s D school, the mantra fail early, fail often to succeed sooner applies here. If you had a set of assumptions before an undertaking and you find out your assumptions were wrong, and those wrong assumptions is making your idea of success untenable, then you better quit early to avoid additional sunk cost. The longer you stay, the harder it is to quit due to sunk cost.
- Don’t quit because of hardship: After reviewing the 4 steps above that gives reasons to quit, this is one step that gives us a counter reason. It is okay to quit for several reasons but do not quit because of hardship. Anything worthwhile will be tough to accomplish. The hardship is what makes it enjoyable and worthwhile. Focus on the results and the yields when you are faced with hardships.
At your service,
Victor Lofinmakin
“Obsessed with Service”
2016 Top 20 Under 40 Realtor
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