Knowing When To Quit 🏳️

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💡 Persist, Pivot or Quit

We all have those days when we just want to wave the white flag…

This programme just isn't working...

This nagging injury is still there, so why even bother with the rehab?

I'm not losing weight so why should I keep trying?

We've all seen motivational posters, quotes, and videos telling us to keep going, to persist and while it's true that success often requires persistence in the face of adversity, is there a moment when quitting might be the smarter move?

Let's have a look…

When we have a strong desire to quit, it usually comes from a persistent overload of adversity with little or no progress to show for it. It's like banging your head against a brick wall trying to knock it down. Unless you've got an exceptionally tough head, that wall isn't budging.

Is it slow progress or no progress?

What often seems like “zero” progress is actually slow progress, which we often overlook. Change takes time, and often more of it than we expect.

For instance, your shoulder is still bothering you, but the pain has decreased and it can move a bit better than before. It might not be the pain-free tennis serve you expected by week three, but it's still progress.

In cases of slow or stagnating progress, persistence is often the right call. But don’t do so endlessly; set a time frame to continue on the same path for; maybe a few days or a week (choice is yours). After that reassess.

Persist or Pivot?

I had a client recently who was midway through a training programme and was enjoying it, but now he was struggling. His newborn son was throwing some curve balls in the sleep department so he was averaging 5 hours or less sleep each night.

Was his sleep going to improve anytime soon? Unlikely. Should he grit his teeth and just push through? Or quit and wait for things to settle down? How about a third option? Instead of persevering, he tried pivoting. We decided to cut back on his weekly training sessions and simplify the programme so he could modify it on the fly depending on his sleep and recovery. Instead of rigidly sticking to the plan, he adapted.

If something consistently isn't delivering, try shifting your approach to tackle things from a fresh perspective. The trick is to do so sparingly, as changing directions at every sign of resistance leads you round and round in circles.

This doesn't mean you should never quit either. Maybe you’ve tried going left and you’ve tried going right and still no progress. Persist on a path, yes, pivot if necessary; yes but sometimes it becomes crystal clear you're on the wrong path and it's time to call it quits.

Don’t think of quitting as failing; often highly successful people are better at knowing when is the best time to walk away versus pushing on blindly.

“Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty. Never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.” - Winston Churchill

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P.S. If you enjoyed this week's Thursday Three, please share it with a friend.

Thanks,

Jamie