A Few Ways Quitting Can Actually Make You More Successful

No, we did not just make it up, Nelson Mandela actually said that.

Successful people never quit. Quitting is for losers. Don’t be a quitter. We’ve all heard these mantras over and over again while growing up, and taken them to heart.

So much so that we even feel guilty if we don’t finish reading a book, no matter how boring it is. Of course you can’t achieve success by quitting, but persistence isn’t always necessary. In fact, in some situations, walking away is the most realistic course of action.

According to a research by the University of Rochester, people find motivation in either ‘approach goals’ or ‘avoidance goals’ which determines how easily they can get unstuck from a situation and walk away. People who are motivated by approach goals love challenging themselves but don’t get stuck on problems that don’t have any feasible solution. On the other hand, those in the avoidance camp are more scared to fail which is why they go against the logic and continue to tangle themselves in problems with no apparent solutions.

Not all quitters are winners, but not all winners quit either. The key is to be logical in your decisions and know when you’re wasting time plugging away at useless things. The time you spend trying to solve an impossible problem can easily be spent on something more productive. Quitting is a necessary skill that we all need to learn in order become more efficient in our professional and personal lives. If you want to practice how to quit, here are a few things that you should start with.

Quit doubting yourself

One of the biggest ingredients of success that often goes unnoticed is self-confidence. One research analyzed the way employees applied for promotions in their workplace. It was found that women were more likely to apply for a position when they met the criteria fully. On the other hand, men applied for promotions even if they didn’t meet 100 per cent of the entry requirement.

This shows that the top executive positions in the company are mostly filled by men because they have higher self-confidence to apply for promotions than women. Sure, they may not have all the skill they need to get to the top, but sometimes confidence can take you a long way. The trick here is to believe in yourself and that you’re deserving of the spot.

Quit Procrastinating

If change was easy, we would all be perfect human beings. But the truth is that self-improvement is hard. It takes a lot of courage and will-power to set yourself on the path of success, and put in the work that is required to reach your end goal. Maybe that’s what successful people do differently – when they want something, they go all out. It’s easy to tell your goals, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” But the problem with procrastinating is that tomorrow never comes.

One research found that women were more likely to apply for a promotion at workplace when they met the criteria 100 per cent whereas men applied even if they didn’t meet all the requirements

Quit thinking there is no choice

Where there is a will, there is a way… and a choice too. Most people like to play the victim by claiming that they didn’t have any other choice, but by making yourself believe that, you’re basically saying that you’re helpless. That’s not how successful people think. Instead of acting powerless, they make sure that they choices and options to choose from.

Quit taking the same approach in life

You can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome. Your life won’t change until you actively seek change within yourself. If you say ‘tomorrow’ to exercise every day, you will never reach your weight loss goal, and hence, get the same feeling of helplessness and failure all the time – until you change your approach towards the goal and work towards achieving results no matter how painful the process may be.

Quit saying “yes”

Most of us find it difficult to say no to certain people or situations. But think of it this way: every time you say yes to one opportunity, you’re saying ‘no’ to another. We’re not talking about saying yes to a promotion or a raise. But when you agree to things you don’t want to do in the first place, like staying late at work, you’re doing it at the expense of staying home with the family or going to the gym.