We’ve all heard them. Those little sayings like: “At first you don’t succeed, try try again”, or “Quitters never win and winners never quit” or “Pain is temporary, Quitting lasts forever” or ………

There are hundreds of quotes against quitting, but only a few on the value of quitting. Why so much interest on whether someone quits something, or keeps going.

The answer should be obvious, yet looking around at today’s society I often wonder.

Quit when things get hard: To quit or not to quit.

Sometimes we need to quit. You know those habits that hold us back, relationships that tear us down and activities that ruin our health.

Sometimes we need to keep going. Like when we are developing talents and abilities, relationships with family members, and the goals we set for ourselves.

In the end, the problem is not giving up on something. The problem lies in our ability to form habits.

As humans, we all form habits. Some are good and some bad.

Sometimes it only takes one time to form a habit. Sometimes habits are built through a series of decisions and actions on our part.

Michael Jordan, the great basket ball player once said: “If you quit ONCE it becomes a habit. Never quit!!!” Aristotle said: We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

It doesn’t take a past great to realize that habits can lead to our success as well as our destruction.

And I believe that the habit of quitting too soon is a sure way to never succeed at anything.

Let’s clarify something: Knowing when to stop is not the same as quitting.

 

Sometimes the greatest decision we can make is to know when it’s time to stop doing something. Most often, however, we need to realize that quitting can become a bad habit, and an attitude that keeps us from ever finding success.

Remember: Knowing when to stop is wisdom, giving up entirely is quitting.

Don’t be a quitter.

The habit of stopping when things get tough is what we, in the human world, call a quitter. Thus the expression, Quitters never win and winners never quit!

There is no formula for knowing when to stop and when to keep going. However there is a time quitting is not in our best interest. To find success we must persevere. We must keep going.

Sometimes it’s a change of course. Sometimes it’s pushing through. Sometimes it’s getting help. Sometimes it’s reevaluating our goals and setting new plans for action. But it is not giving up when things start to get difficult.

Let’s end to this encouraging sentiment by DeWayne Owens “Striving for successful goals will have a tendency at times to be discouraging, thankless, and mentally draining. You are entitled to these feelings; however you are not entitled to give up.”