Before you Quit, Try
“Before you Quit, Try” Is a quote by William Arthur Wand, one with an everlasting meaning, traversing throughout the ages. This quote gives me a reason to ask: How many times have you quit something before even trying? How often have you said: “Nah, this is not for me,” or ” I don’t think I can do this/have something to gain from this,” and given up on something you love just because you were scared or bored? Maybe it was that guitar lesson you had in middle school, that cool project you started with a friend in college or that relationship you walked out from after the first few big arguments. Countless things could have changed your life forever, and you shut the door in their face. Right now, you’ve probably realized what opportunity I’m talking about. Maybe you’re thinking you had the right reasons, or you really had nothing to gain from. Maybe your teacher told you that you really didn’t have the skills to become a professional guitar player, or you got bored of failing the entrance exam for that college you’ve been dying to go to, or maybe you weren’t seeing any success in the project you started out with that friend, so you chickened out. That’s right, knowing when to quit is manly, but you chickened out. You were scared of failure, scared of disappointment, scared of bad feedback, so you stopped before even trying. So, next time, before you hurry up and drop the “I quit” bomb, try asking yourself some questions beforehand.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before you Quit
- Are you happy? Is whatever you want to quit making you happy, do you believe it is improving your life quality?
- Are you being productive? When it is time for you to do it, are you doing it productively, trying to gain as much as possible out of it, or do you think of it as a chore, and do it half-heartedly.
- Are you serious about it? Do you do it seriously? Or are you daydreaming, praying you could be somewhere else at that moment.
- Are you proud of it? Does it inspire you to talk about it to everyone you know? Do you think you can never shut up when talking about it? Do you feel like everyone should know how amazing that thing you do is?
- Sometimes, the problem isn’t with what we are willing to give up, but its origins from inside of us, from our deepest thoughts, attempting to hold us back.
Things to Consider Before Giving Up
- Are you afraid of success? It’s not uncommon for people to be scared of success, because success comes with a significant burden, successful people are set as an example to others, and are expected to lead them. They have a great power to influence and impact others, which if misused can be devastating to society. Thus, many people don’t want this kind of power because they are afraid of using it, consequentially being fearful of success.
- Are you doing this for yourself? Is this something you, and you alone want to do? Or is it being forced upon you by your parents/ peers? Because if it is, chances are, an internal conflict is starting to be created, regarding the reasons you started this, to begin with.
- What’s the worst thing that could happen if you fail? One of the most common fears, going alongside the fear of success, is the fear of failure, people fear of getting disappointed, of trying and never reaching their goal. They fear the reaction of the people around them when they hear they have failed. Remember that test in middle school you got an F, and never told your parents about because you were scared they would punish you? Remember that time you got fired from your job and didn’t know how to tell your girlfriend/wife because you were scared she might leave you?
- As Michael Jordan said: “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” Failure defines us as human beings; it’s what makes us keep going forward, towards the light. Don’t quit because you fear loss might be the final outcome, keep trying, and if you fail, get off the ground, and try again.
- How much have you sacrificed for this? Remember all the Friday nights you didn’t go out with your friends? That fantastic movie you didn’t watch with your family, that birthday party you didn’t attend? All these Sunday afternoons you forgot to eat again because you were focused on whatever it was you doing? Remember that one girlfriend that broke up with you because you didn’t spend enough time with her so you can do “that”, all the friends that said you were crazy and wanted you to take a break from it, that professor in college that said you should quit because you had no future. Are all these sacrifices for nothing? Didn’t you calm yourself back then, saying it was all so you can accomplish your goal, or even better, your dream? What happens if you quit now? Your friends were right, your ex was right, your professor was right, everyone was right except you because you lost when you quit. You lost when you sacrifice everything for a dream you abandoned.
To summarize all I’ve said so far, quitting is not something you do that easily, and it isn’t something you should be doing that easily. You should never quit if you feel there is even the slightest glimmer of hope left. If there isn’t, then at least from that experience, you’ve learned how and when to quit, but if there is, you should grab it with both hands, and hold tight until you make your dream happen. So please, just play one more song, write one more paragraph, cook one last meal, sing one last song, craft something one last time, go to that one last training, run that last distance, and if you do. You still feel lost, then feel free to quit, but for you to be reading this, I have a feeling that inside of you, there is still that small thread of hope left, all you have to do is reach out and grab it.
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