As someone who believes in perseverance and pushing past obstacles, I have had to seriously re-evaluate my relationship with quitting and letting go of careers and relationships and identities that no longer fit. As a society we have been told and taught not to quit, to push through often at the expense of ourselves.
But what happens when we cannot push any longer? What happens when we reach the end of our rope and/or run out of options leading us forward? What happens when we crash and burn so hard that we have no choice but to let go and try to grow?
As humans we have a tendency to stick with our comfort zone no matter how miserable we might be, to push and fight and struggle to keep shitty jobs and failed relationships and outdated ideals for fear of starting over or beginning again.
But some of my best, albeit hardest, lessons have been learned through the act of quitting and letting go of everything I thought I needed in order to make space for something else entirely.
Below is a list of all the things I have quit in recent years, in case you need some inspiration:
I quit stay at home motherhood (not once but twice).
I quit my corporate career (and never looked back).
I quit zoom schooling my kindergartener (still paying the price for this one…oops).
I quit my brick and mortar business (this one hurt A LOT, but the lessons learned were priceless.
I quit selfless motherhood (this one was seriously life changing)!
I quit ignoring myself and my own wants and needs (aka following my dreams).
I quit social media (hands down my best decision ever).
I quit doubting myself (mostly).
I quit apologizing.
I quit self promotion (sorta).
I have quit friendships that felt one sided and others that felt like they were past their expiration date (your new life will most definitely cost you your old one).
I quit saying yes when I really meant no (still one of the best lessons I have learned).
I quit putting myself in places and in conversations and around tables that no longer fit (another game changer).
Quitting my dream and tearing the walls down inside my brick and mortar business was hands down the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I have found very beautiful things on the other side of quitting and I have also found that holding on to relationships and careers and identities that no longer fit is just as hard - if not harder than letting go.
Our society seems to be in a season of quitting, a time where millions of people have been re-evaluating their lives and leaving their current careers behind in hopes of finding aka creating something better. Others are busy quitting relationships that they have outgrown and/or picking up the pieces of their pre-pandemic lives.
As someone who has quit a lot of things in an effort to release my ‘good enough’ life for one I truly love, I am here to give you permission to quit. To re-evaluate what about your life is working and what truly isn’t.
The end of the year is the perfect time to release what no longer feels right. Now is the time to decide what, if anything, you want to quit. What is worth holding on to and what do you need to let go of in order to make room for something so much better?
Grab a piece of paper and make a list of all the things you have quit, or hope to quit.
What do you want (or need) to quit?
What do you feel ready to leave behind?
What about your life is no longer serving you?
What about your life no longer fits?
What is holding you back from making these changes?
If you quit any (or all) of these things, what could take their place?
I have personally been inspired by Holly Whitaker (who writes
) and her work developing Quitted, a podcast and passion project she started (and promptly quit)! She often writes about her own experiencing quitting things and the freedom she has found on the other side, which prompted me to re-evaluate my own experience with quitting and share all of the above.