How to know when to quit

I think you should quit more often.

Seriously.

When you quit early, often and from the right mindset, you become unstoppable in life.

Let me explain.

Seth Godin coined the idea of “the dip.” The idea is that as you work towards a goal in life you will inevitably find yourself in either a dip OR a cul de sac.

A dip is simply a dip. Picture the letter U. At the top left is where things are great. It’s where you start that new job and it’s exciting. It’s where you start a new relationship and you’re in the butterflies and rainbows phase. It’s where you start a new workout program and you’re amped!

But then it dips. The dip is the phase where it might be tough, it might be a grind but on the other side of the dip it goes back up. Where it goes back up is where those things you want exist - success, happiness, fulfillment, making it with your creative outlet, a great body, mindfulness, confidence, etc.

A cul de sac, on the other hand, is simply a dead end. It’s a dead end where you’re working a job, in a relationship, etc. but things don’t get better but they also don’t get worse. Things just are. You do and do and do. You’re kinda just in robot mode with no room for improvement.

Recognizing when you’re in a dip and should keep going or in a cul de sac and should quit… that is how you become unstoppable in life.

Recognizing the difference is a huge power move.

I used to think that everything in life was one big dip and because of that, I should never quit. Quitter was for losers! But my friend, that simply isn’t true!

There’s so much beauty in quitting because I genuinely believe that as long as you quit from a compassionate place of wanting more and better, that you’re never quitting. You’re simply moving on.

There’s power in taking a good hard look at your journey and asking yourself:

Am I in a dip? Or am I in a cul de sac? Should I power through this hardship? Is this worth it? Is this growing me? Is this leading me somewhere?

OR should I recognize that this is a dead end and no longer deserves my time, energy, money, etc.?

In my mind, quitters are winners.

Truthfully.

The purpose of life is to find a dip you’re eager to power though and leave every cul de sac behind.

Quitters do exactly that!

Find a dip that is worth it to you.

• That’s a job you’re willing to work hard for, that you’re willing to ride out the tough times because you’re so passionate about it.
• That’s a relationship that requires work and compromise but it’s worth it because you love that person and you know you both grow each other.
• That’s a creative outlet that requires years and years of work - 213 episodes :) - but it’s worth it because you love it so much and it brings your soul to life.

Life is about finding a dip that you want to ride out. Life is about searching for THAT dip and quitting each and every cul de sac as fast as possible. 

It’s a power move to know that you can leave any story you no longer want to be in.

You can leave any story that you’ve decided is a dead end. 

You can leave any circumstance where you’re no longer growing.

You can leave any circumstance where you feel like you’re growing further from your truth and where you feel yourself loving yourself less.

You’re allowed to leave any circumstance where you don’t love yourself as much as you once did. You're allowed to leave any circumstance where you treat yourself more harshly, with less love, less compassion and less empathy than you once did.

There's no shame in that!

When you quit from a place of understanding rather than frustration, it’s not quitting. It’s moving on.

If in your mind it’s a dead end… then it’s a dead end and you don’t have to overthink it. You’re allowed to do that and I’ve learned that the real winners in life are quitters.

Know this: Not every relationship, job, city, friend or habit is going to lead you to a dip that is worth fighting for.

Not everything is worth fighting for because not everything or everyone grows you.

Not every circumstance deserves your continued effort, energy or compassion. And that's OK!

Throwing in the towel doesn’t mean you’re giving up because you’re incapable or frustrated and just want to crawl in bed and give up! No!  You can quit and still be hungry!

You’re still hungry for a dip that deserves your time and effort because you know that rising up on the other side is where you want to be.

It’s more than ok to quit and quit and quit until you find that dip because when that’s your mindset you’re never really quitting… you’re simply moving on.