When Quitting is a Win

Quitting doesn’t always mean that you’ve failed. Sometimes you give up on one dream because another one comes along. Sometimes quitting is the smart thing to do. Sometimes it means stopping the bleeding. Or protecting your resources.  

Look around! It’s everywhere -- “never give up” “don’t quit” “just keep going” “just keep swimming” “persist” . These messages are obviously meant to energize and inspire us when the going gets tough in order that we might keep working towards reaching our goals. There is another side of that argument however.

Nobody talks seriously about the other side of the coin, and that’s when you should give up, or quit. Sometimes, no matter how much persistence or grit or motivation you have, there are instances in when quitting is the better idea. Quitting doesn’t always mean that you’ve failed. Sometimes you give up on one dream because another one comes along. But sometimes quitting is the smart thing to do. It may mean that you stop the bleeding, protect your resources, and redirect precious energy.  

Leslie and Leslyn share information about a concept called “escalation of commitment” and it basically just means throwing good money (or time, etc.) after bad. Leslie’s husband is a lead researcher in this arena and she’s learned a lot through osmosis. Their conversation touches on a number of scenarios we all experience from waiting for a bus to running a business.

They challenge listeners to examine the areas in their lives where this so called ‘bleeding’ occurs and reevaluate the time and resource that might be better employed elsewhere.