quitting is a luxury you can’t afford

We all have days that make us feel like throwing in the towel. We do mental gymnastics, weighing the cost of giving up versus pushing through. Yesterday was one of those days for me. After over a week of what I think must be bronchitis, I was just feeling worn out. I had completed a round of steroids, which had not helped in the least. Things were slightly tense at work anyway, and with all the new laws that just took effect in California, there were some new changes to deal with. So add low morale to the fact that I was already sick, exhausted, and hormonal. I didn’t want to be there and was fighting back tears of exhaustion, thinking if only for the briefest moment how long I could pay the bills if I were to call it quits at the day job.

I was happy to leave the premises with a friend during my lunch break. I texted my husband that drinks might be in order that evening, as it was going to be a long day. He agreed, for reasons much more valid than my own. He and forty others at his job had just gotten laid off. He was home at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday while I was feeling sorry for myself over a cup of soup.

My day didn’t get better, but you better believe my perspective changed. I was suddenly very grateful to have a secure job. I was experiencing resistance because I was focused on myself and had gotten away from a grateful mindset. My circumstances were not my problem. My problem was that I was weak and selfish enough to let them get to me. I was so far in the throes of self-sabotage that quitting seemed like an option. When my other half had his job involuntarily taken away, it forced me to see how silly it was that I would even entertain the idea of quitting. I wouldn’t have gone through with it, but it was a selfish impulse that would have been terribly rash.

We will all encounter times when the deck seems stacked against us, or we just get weary. You can keep going. Usually the uphill battle is short and we find a way to move forward with the same vigor we once did, but that uphill stint feels much longer and insurmountable when you’re in the middle of it. That’s when it’s necessary to step back and see the bigger picture. See that quitting is a luxury, but a fleeting one. It’s not an indulgence you’ll look back on proudly, so don’t make a rash decision based on how you feel today. Sprint through it, tough it out. It will get better.

Please follow and like us: