Quitting Changed My Life — And It Could Do The Same For You

I’ve probably quit more things in my life than you’ve started. Now I know most people wouldn’t brag about that…but I’m not most people, and I’m here to share my wealth of experience so you can enjoy the benefits of quitting too.

I have had more jobs than I can remember and I’ve never been fired. I always quit before that could happen. I walked off a construction site once when I realized my shoddy, inexperienced workmanship had compromised the structural integrity of the building. I mean I HAD to quit. Not only was I about to be discovered and summarily fired…the part of the building I’d be working on was super unsafe.

Tree planting. Man I hated tree planting with all my heart and soul. So I hid under my tarp until everyone left camp, hiked to the highway, hitchhiked into town, took a cab to the airport and flew home. That’s how committed I was about quitting. After making a colossal mess in a fertilizer factory, I barely took the time to turn the forklift off and throw my hard hat in the corner, before running for my car while yelling over my shoulder to the empty warehouse that I wasn’t running away so much as quitting.

I’ve quit truck-driving jobs, landscaping jobs, retail sales, I was a beekeeper’s assistant for 4 hours before quitting. I have a library full of books I’ve quit reading. I quit watching movies and TV shows all the time. I quit hikes, bike rides and meals…sometimes I’ll even quit talking in the middle of a train of thought cause I realize it went off the rails somewhere along the way when I wasn’t paying attention.

In the middle of a 1500-meter race in a high school track meet I faked a hamstring injury so I could quit running. I just lay down in the infield and watched the clouds. (while vigorously rubbing my fake-injured hammy)

As a lifestyle…quitting really worked for me. I never had to put up with annoying bosses, friends, girlfriends, fads or fashions. It was all honeymoon in every area of my life. I was always moving into a new apartment, getting to know awesome new people, enamoured by a sexy new love interests. I had yet to discover a downside to quitting. I could smoke, do drugs, start day drinking any time I wanted, cause if it ever became a problem…I’d just quit.

But the magic really started the day I quit giving up. Basically I quit quitting. At that point I realized I had honed my natural, god given gift for quitting into an incredible weapon of mass production in my life. There is nothing in my life I haven’t achieved without quitting.

Chasing the almighty dollar, well that was just like the 1500-meter race — I quit. Trying to look and feel like everyone around me — I quit. Defining success by salary, house size and big-boy toys in the driveway…I quit that too.

From my extensive experience with the benefits of quitting, I have put together a simple 5 Step Plan for Quitting Your Way To Freedom And Success.

• Quit Believing Anything The Media Tells You Is In Your Best Interest
• Quit Acting Surprised When S#% Hits The Fan…It’s Called ‘Life’
• Quit Living The Same Way Every Day And Expecting Things To Change
• Quit Being So Successful At Being Like Everyone Around You
• Quit Your Habit Of Giving Up Before You Even Begin

Quitting has changed my life…and I believe it will do the same for you!

Rik Leaf is a world traveler, slam poet, songwriter, storyteller and author of Four Homeless Millionaires — How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind.