Yes, I'm a quitter

It's been told to us our whole lives, "Quitters never win" or "if you quit, it becomes a habit"

Well, I'm here to tell you that I am unashamed, a quitter.

It's a new development for me. You see, I was that girl in high school. I was the one who signed up for all the clubs and all the plays. I basically lived in my school. I gathered every opportunity possible for the experience.

And I didn't enjoy any of it.

Passion turned into an obligation, and obligation turned into tiredness. I'm talking the kind of tired that sleep won't fix.

In college, I found I was falling into the same trap. I felt overworked and exhausted. What could possibly be the cure to fix my busy schedule?

So, I quit.

I left several obligations in my life.

The world didn't implode. In fact, everything around me remained the same except for me. My whole daily mindset shifted because I chose me first.

We need to control the stressors in our lives because if we don't, they'll control us.

We've all been told to look so negatively on anything that we don't follow through with. We're told that this team or group or club is relying on us and that its success relies on our contribution.

To our own detriment, we must continue the work that we signed up for.

There are many things we cannot control. Many life circumstances such as family or health are beyond our scope.

That's what makes quitting even more important.

I'm going to throw it back to some fundamental math principles (bear with me). In accounting, you make a profit if you make more money than you lose.

In economics, however, you can only make an economic profit if you factor in the money plus the other opportunities you did not choose. Sure, you might be making a lot of money owning a bakery, but you would have been making a whole lot more money if you stayed on the path of becoming a lawyer.

The same thing should apply to our happiness.

You might tolerate the city you live in, but your heart has been pulling you to the east coast. You might enjoy your job, but your passion is in another field that you have no experience in.

We might have an adequate amount of happiness currently, but that is because we are not factoring in the great potential for happiness through giving something up to pursue a new path and the potential for more.

Life is far too unpredictable and short to remain in situations that are draining to your passions. In fact, unless it is purposefully filling you up with inspiration and well being, it should be discontinued.

Oftentimes, feeling overwhelmed occurs not on the number of tasks during your day but the quality. Your schedule is much more manageable and fulfilling when you know that everything you are accomplishing is a benefit to yourself.

We need to break the illusion that we are tethered to the things that make us unhappy.

There are many things worth fighting for that should not be given up on. The difference is discerning that something is worth fighting for because of its potential value in your life as opposed to continuing through a false sense of obligation.

And instead of teaching children that responsible, moral people are required to finish every task set before them, let's teach them the value of their work. And that by discontinuing a position or place, they pave the way to find new fulfillment and leave an opening for another to find themselves in their place.