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How many times have you heard someone say, "Don't give up. Hang in there. You can't quit now"?
Quitting gets a bad rap.
Surprise twist: Quitting is my new favorite thing.
Why?
Because I’ve learned from experience that constantly adding more and more to my life without subtracting anything leads to overwhelm, stress, and burnout.
Is it just me or are you also constantly trying to improve yourself and your life?
- Daily meditation (so I stay calm and don’t flip out when my daughter still isn’t in bed after the 4th request)…
- At least 30 minutes of daily exercise (so my butt cheeks get a little less flabby and so I can fulfill my hidden agenda of subtly motivating my husband to lose the beer belly)…
- Pitch more podcasts (so I can get more visibility, email subscribers, and make oodles of money selling them stuff)…
The list of additions goes on and on, piling on top of all the things I was ALREADY doing.
I was beginning to realize that self-improvement is over-rated.
My life felt like Jenga in reverse.
Instead of removing little wooden blocks, holding my breath so the whole tower doesn’t come crashing down, I was adding more and more blocks to the top…watching my life wobble in front of me.
Waiting for my life to topple over didn’t seem like a great strategy.
So, instead of adding, I started subtracting.
And that meant QUITTING.
- Quit seeing so many clients each week- went from 10/week to 4/week
- Quit checking my email constantly- went from 30 times/day to 3/day
- Quit writing what I think people want to read- now I write what I want to say
- Quit spending time with people who deplete my energy- and wrote an article about it
- Quit telling myself I don’t have time to exercise, take a nap, get a massage, write a book, meet a friend for coffee, or spend an afternoon daydreaming- I absolutely have time (now that I quit a bunch of shit)
Quitting has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
It frees up my time so I can do the things I like- or do nothing at all.
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, or like your life is a tall Jenga tower that will come crashing down with your next exhale, maybe you should quit.
Subtract instead of add.
Quitting just might become your new favorite thing.
Now, leave a comment and tell me what you’re quitting.
If you don’t, I’ll feel like a real oddball who’s just being lazy.
Please save me the internal drama.
P.S. Seriously- share your “quit list”. Not just to make me feel better about myself- but because you deserve time to do stuff you like too. You’re more likely to follow through with subtracting all the time-sucks from your life if you write it down.
