Have you ever felt like you're stuck in a rut?
No matter how hard you try, you just don’t seem to make any lasting progress. It's frustrating! When this happens, we look for a tool to help fix the problem, something to get us over the hump or across the finish line. But what if the solution isn't to keep pushing forward?
What if…the solution is to let things go?
It might seem counterintuitive, but hear me out. We live in a culture that values perseverance and hard work. It has been hammered into us that if we just keep pushing ourselves, we'll eventually succeed. But sometimes, that's just not true. There will be times when the best thing we can do is to quit.
So when is it a good idea to quit?
There are just so many hours in the day, and spending time spinning your wheels on a goal or project that isn’t getting results wastes precious time. As we get older (and wiser), precious time is the last thing we want to waste. For example, let’s say you're experimenting with the KETO diet (which, if done right, can get great results) but are not seeing the gains you were looking for. You could double down and keep at it, maybe you need more time, push a little harder. Perhaps you're missing something, and you need to educate yourself. Or maybe it's time to ask the question…
Could I get better results if I used the time and energy elsewhere?
Let’s take the Keto example a little further. Maybe your lifestyle doesn’t mesh with that diet. If you are trying to eat one way and your family eats another, this can create some friction. Now you’re cooking two meals at dinner, one for you and one for your family. How long before this gets old and complicated? Pretty soon, that pasta is gonna start to look really good! There’s nothing wrong with the diet, but the diet might be wrong for you.
Here's the problem… Quitting can be hard.
One of the reasons we have a hard time letting go of things like this might be due to the sunk cost fallacy. This term is borrowed from the finance world but applicable to many areas of our lives. The sunk cost fallacy is the idea that because we have invested time, money, or effort into something, we feel like we need to keep going in order to justify that investment.
But here’s the truth– That investment is already spent.
Continuing to invest in something that’s not working only has the potential to make things worse. If you're doing Keto and not losing weight, doing more Keto will not get you to your fitness goal. It’s possible you need to tweak something, or perhaps it's time to quit this diet and give yourself the space to reflect, regroup, and try something new. This can be hard because we tend to focus on what we will lose rather than what we might gain.
This is called the opportunity cost.
The opportunity cost is the perceived value of what we give up to pursue something else instead. But remember, by giving up something that isn't working, an opportunity is created for something that will work. Once we find the thing that works, we are that much closer to our goal.
Quitting isn’t always the solution, but it should be in your arsenal.
It's important to remember that quitting doesn't have to be negative. In fact, it can be incredibly liberating. Not only can it free up time and energy that you can leverage elsewhere, but it also reduces the stress and frustration of doing something that isn’t getting you closer to your goal, leading to a real sense of relief and closure.
If you decide to quit, quit purposefully.
Be honest with yourself and others about why you're quitting.
Set clear boundaries and expectations for how you'll wrap things up.
Make a plan for how you will pivot your time and energy.
Express gratitude for the opportunity and remember the lessons you've learned.
Quitting can be daunting, but sometimes it's the best thing we can do for ourselves.
By recognizing when it's time to let go, time and energy are suddenly available for more meaningful projects. So if you think you’re stuck in a rut, take a step back, take stock, and consider whether quitting might be the right move.
You have nothing to lose but…
Wait, scratch that, you do have something to lose. That’s the point!
Until next week– Age Smarter and Live Longer.