LIVE TALKS: How to stop? The art of quitting
“I am not a quitter! I will make it work no matter what! Does quitting mean losing? When commitment to go to the end is heroic and when this attitude turns against us and becomes an enemy?
For the first homework of my Entrepreneurship studies at the USC, I was asked to list my business ideas, why I want to start a venture and write my exit strategy. I resisted considering the last part of the assignment for many years. I could not understand how you could put an end date for your passion and your dream?
The hardest lesson I learned about quitting was when I had to exit my startup. We had completely different visions of scaling our company with a business partner. We started to resent each other and the startup after years of fighting, compromising, and trying to influence each other’s minds.
I got too attached to the founders’ title and the dream. Efforts and time dedicated to the unrealized ambition felt wasted. Dragging the inevitable end was the ugliest time in my life. I was in a constant conflict with myself and everyone around me.
The thoughts of my life being even worst after quitting tantalized me. I imagined that leaving my startup would be the most painful experience. To my surprise, the minute I decided to exit, I was overtaken by the most freeing feeling. The heaviest weight lifted from my shoulders.
Everything will eventually end. Instead of fearing fate, we can prepare ourselves to create the ending that we are proud of and would be meaningful for us.
When evaluating if to quit or continue our projects, relationships, the lifestyle, we can ask ourselves the following questions:
- What learning experience do we want to have?
- What kind of person would we like to become?
- What would be a meaningful exit strategy for us?
“The art of quitting is the art of course correction” Joe Jacobi
We invite you to join live talks with Olympians and Performance Coaches to explore topics that help us break our limits.
HOSTS
Inga Stasiulionyte, Olympian in javelin throwing, performance coach at Valor Performance, and founder of ofounders.com
Joe Jacobi, Olympic Gold medalist at whitewater slalom, performance coach at Valor Performance, and founder of joejacobi.com
TOPIC: HOW TO STOP? THE ART OF QUITTING
Watch the recording here:
TIMESTAMPS
03:00 — What to do? To keep going, or to stop?
- How did we get here to where we are now?
- How do you define success? Is it truly your definition of success or someone else’s?
- The longer we wait to address our situation, the harder it is to pull out, and we get stuck.
05:45 — When should we start thinking about quitting?
- Redefining the meaning of quitting
- What is your exit strategy?
- Seinfield ended the most successful show at its peak because he knew the consequences of doing it too long.
13:00 — What makes it so hard to quit?
- All our lives as Olympians, we were driven by the inner voice pressuring us to keep grinding and not quitting. Being nicer and more gentle with ourselves allows us to create a bigger meaning and identify not only just with one path.
15:20 — What is the cost of not quitting?
- Either decision to stay or quit will hurt us. However, what pain leads us to the opportunities we want to take?
- As we grow, our motivations change
- Spotting opportunities to pivot for more alignment and impact
- Finding the environment that supports us to flourish with those values
23:30 — Knowing what holds us back
25:00 — Is the grass greener on another side?
- Evaluating not only our work life but life as a whole
30:20 — What is the most painful that is associated with quitting?
- What does it mean to have it all and more?
- Happiness is not only standing on the podium with a gold medal.
39:00 — Experiencing the wholeness of the process
- If we will go down, how will we be going down?
41:00 — How to have the courage to quit?
- Journaling our thoughts and feelings without judgment and with full acceptance
- Checking in if we are in or off-balance with our values, what actions can we take to get back on track?
- Preparing for the scary steps, confronting what we failed to do, giving ourselves time to explore
- Giving ourselves a chance to get excited about the next steps
46:55 — Quitting too fast and often
- Why do you want to leave?
- What are people doing outside the work?
- What learning opportunity do you want to have?
- Do you fit in the situation?
55:00 — Our key takeaways from our conversation
- How do you enter and exit not only projects and jobs but also life?
- How would your life be if you would not do what you are doing now?
- The art of quitting is the art of course correction
