Everyday Canvas

Why Quit?

Prompt: What makes you stop from quitting things, such as your writing, hobbies, friendships, relationships, etc.?

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There are many reasons why we quit anything. In my experience, the most prevailing reason for quitting is the product of aiming for and expecting perfection, not only for me but for others, too. When we are discouraged with our results, we think there is no use in flogging a dead horse. Mind you, the horse may not be dead, but we think it is, so we step back and quit. In this case, if I have the idea of quitting because I am discouraged, I tell myself this is not a good reason for perfection is a myth, and I don’t.

The second one for quitting is discovering disappointing areas or assets inside whatever or whoever. Something or someone looks wonderful, so perfect for us, so enjoyable. Then, after a while, we see the negatives in it, such as an emotionally detached friend or lover or one who expects too much from us or a part of some hobby that may poison us. For example, I used to be a serious gardener at one time, but I had to quit cold turkey when suddenly allergies and asthma hit me. There are times and instances when there is nothing to help me not to quit.

The third one is the realization of the hurt that my sticking with a specific person or project would cause to me or others. I once left someone I cared for deeply only because sticking with that person would hurt a whole bunch of people as well as that person. The same would go for a too expensive hobby. The hobby, sport, or whatever may be wonderful, but if it would delete my family’s finances and make us homeless, it wouldn’t be worth it, would it? This reason for quitting, too, is a good one, but if I could find an alternative cure for it, I would not quit.

The fourth one is time, although less important than the reasons above. By birth, I am a curious one and I have wanted and still want to try everything, but there are only so many hours in a day and so many days in a lifetime. Come to think of it, if I were to live 10,000 years, I would still lack the time for everything that attracts my attention. Still, a good reasonable planning of my time would let me enjoy many of the things I like doing; therefore, when this problem comes up, I ask myself if I can better use my time so that I don’t quit doing what I like.

Quitting may be a dirty word for some people, but sometimes, that is all there is. As Richie Norton said, "Like creating a masterpiece, quitting is an art: you have to decide what to keep within the frame and what to keep out.”