“How am I going to get 15 hours of training in this week?”
I asked myself this mid-August. As I’ve shared earlier this year, I was training for a full Ironman. I was also bopping around the country delivering keynotes, working on my next book proposal, and trying to enjoy a few more summer days with my kids before my oldest went back to college.
It was then I realized I wasn’t. I wasn’t going to get 15 hours of training in during the week – it was impossible. I then thought, “Maybe you can just wing it?” Meaning, be less-prepared for the race. I then thought about “winging” a 2-mile swim, 100 mile bike ride, and then a marathon. I realized that’s how people die.
I then took a peek at my calendar and asked myself, “Do you have 60 hours to invest in training for the next month? And if you did have 60 free hours, would investing in training be in your best interest – is it aligned to your most precious goals?”
The answer was an honest, and humble, “no.” So, I just quit. After several months of training, I abandoned my goal. And it felt, well, surprisingly liberating.
I’ve told myself forever that I’m not a quitter – maybe you’ve said that, too? I don’t take quitting lightly. Quitting in life has never been my problem. Clinging to goals that no longer serve me? Doing more of the hard things that I already know how to do? Those are my problems.
In “Bet on You,” we have a saying – You don’t quit when it’s hard, you quit when it sucks. Training didn’t suck, per se. What sucked was only having 24 hours in the day and the reality that I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do, so I had to make a values decision. Those aren’t always easy, but when they’re made you get a huge sense of relief because it’s the right thing and suddenly you find yourself aligned with your best intentions.
So, let me ask you this: What sucks in your life right now? Or, asked another way: What are you doing that no longer serves you?
Have you taken on too much – do you need to let something go?
Are you engaging in revenge bedtime procrastination and need to stop?
Are your good ‘ole methods no longer working?
Is your cautious mindset making it difficult to set big goals?
Are you trusting people who don’t support you, or relying on people who let you down?
Are you holding onto a relationship – personal or professional – that is holding you back?
Only you know when to quit. It’s hard to see when we’re engaged in behaviors that no longer enhance our life. But when we let them go? Huge relief. Can it be scary? Sure. But you can remind yourself that fear is often a significant sign of progress. You can’t be courageous and not feel fear.
Good luck on the quit.
