“It’s always too soon to quit!”~Norman Vincent Peale
So often I’ve wanted to quit just before a breakthrough. I’ve been at the edge, ready to throw up my hands and give up in disgust, to walk away from what I wanted and what I wanted to accomplish, and for some strange reason, perhaps a bit more determination, a bit more hope, or a bit more prodding from someone else, I’ve held on and given it one more try…and I’ve broken through to my goal.
It seems, in retrospect, that often the “need” to quit is strongest right before the achievement of my desire. Or perhaps the determination not to quit has somehow fueled me for one more effort or one more new way of thinking things through. Either way, I can look back and realize that if I’d quit when I’d wanted to, it would have been too soon.
I see the same pattern in those around me. I witness clients who are about to give up, yet put out one more effort and have success. I notice colleagues who decide not to throw in the towel, and are somehow reenergized to move forward. I watch my children get so frustrated they nearly (and at times do) scream, and then have the “aha” moment when they understand the problem they’re facing and the solution they need.
I’m not saying that there aren’t times to give up and let things be. I am saying that when I don’t quit, even if I still let things be and perhaps lose the frustration, I’m more likely to get what I wanted in the first place. It seems it’s most often too soon to quit.
Next time you need to quit, see what happens if you wait it out.
Where have you quit? Was it too soon? Where do you want to try one more time?
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