The Myth of Quitting

It was the Fall of 2005. I was hugging my wife and children, watching a huge fireworks display when I noticed some motion at the very top of Disneyworld’s Magic Kingdom Castle. In the time it took my mind to realize that it was a person climbing out the window, Tinkerbell was gliding down a cable as part of the grand finale of the evening’s festivities.

I cried.

Three Kinds of Quitters

We live in a society that hates quitters and labels them as weak, scared, misguided, lost, dumb or worse. But that’s not the whole story. The weak are only one kind of quitter:

• Weak: Though I would not call them dumb, weak quitters are people who quit because they believe they are unable to overcome the obstacles between where they are and where they want to be.
• Changers: Changers are people who quit what they are doing to pursue something better (“better” according to an important value they hold). In the business world, this type of quitting is often called a “pivot,” meaning it’s not so much about quitting as changing direction.
• Tweakers: Tweakers are those that quit parts of what their doing in order to devote that time and energy to more important tasks.

Which Are You?

So which are you?

• A person who keeps quitting because of weaknesses: self-doubt, lack of skills, lack of perseverance, resources or support?
• A person who can’t stop doing what you know you need to stop because you (a) believe the myth that says quitting is always wrong or (b) fear that people will label you a failure?

Either way,

Quit It!

If you are in a cycle of quitting from weakness, quit it! You CAN overcome doubt and gain the skills, perseverance, resources and support. People like you do it everyday, and many of them are far less talented.

If you know you need to change or tweak but won’t, quit it! Quit whatever(s) it is that’s stealing time and energy from what needs to get done. And if you need to, quit “everything” and pivot for a better life.

That’s what I did and that’s why I cried.

A Life

In that moment, all the pain and heartache of “quitting” the Music Business vanished because my dream of taking my family to Disneyworld had come true.

I can’t tell you if you should quit “The Arts” like I did. What I can tell you is that if there’s ANYTHING preventing you from making the life you want through you’re career, quit it.