“All the world loves a winner and no one has time for a loser”- Knute Rockne
We all want to be the best. We all want to win, stand out, and be the man! It feels good to never give up and Just Do It like Nike tells us. Part of being brave is sticking with things even when they feel like a losing battle. Turning away from the pain and putting in great effort during a difficult time builds character. If we walked away from every hard thing, we’d never truly know what we are capable of.
Sometimes bravery is knowing when to let go and stop. Knowing when to give up is a noble and righteous thing. There is no shame in giving up under the right circumstances. The key is to know when giving up is the brave thing to do.
4 Signs you should be brave enough to quit:
- You’ve truly done your very best
- You’ve exhausted all of your resources
- Wise counsel confirms you should let go
- You feel peace about the idea of letting go
Knowing you’ve done your very best – There comes a time when you know in your heart you’ve done your very best to manage your difficult situation. You’ve focused your attention, taken bold and brave action, stuck with it during the hardest parts and you just know deep down you’ve done all you can do. Coming to the place where you know your conscience is at ease if you let go is an indicator you’ve done your very best.
You’ve used all of your resources well – If you’ve used all of the available resources and there is no healthy way to continue, it’s an indicator you may need to let things go. Being conscientious and responsible with your resources matters. If you’ve used what you have during a difficult time and there’s nothing more available, then you can safely determine you’ve run your race. It makes no sense to take unsafe risks or overextend yourself if the situation may not sustain the effort.
Wise counsel confirms and supports you should quit – From a medical professional, an attorney, or wise confidant, getting wise counsel who confirms letting things go is the proper course of action can affirm you’re making the right choice. Sometimes a neutral third party can see things with a new or clear perspective and help you make a tough decision with more confidence.
You have peace about letting go – At the end of the fight; if you have peace about letting go then you have all you need to make this brave decision. Peace comes after you’ve done all you know you can do and have exhausted all of your emotional and physical resources. Peace is an indicator that you are making the best decision under the circumstances and you can boldly decide to quit with a clear conscience.
Sometimes being willing to quit is the ultimate bravery. Though quitting is often seen as giving up, sometimes it’s the best choice overall. In these cases, quitting isn’t giving up, it’s doing the right and responsible thing when going on would be foolish.
