Friday, May 23, 2008

sunday scribbling - quitting


Am I a quitter or the opposite?
It's not as easy to answer as one would think.
First of all, there are two sides to quitting: there's either abnegation or there's lack of persistence, which makes the act of quitting a very dubious one. When you say you quit, you may have given up smoking or perhaps you've given up a diet. People will applaud you for the first one and boo you for the second.

I've quit a few things in the past:
I quit piano lessons.
I quit eating meat.
I quit my first choice for high-school.
I quit trying to make someone love me when they didn't.

Many times for me quitting things means I've gone off them, I no longer enjoy them and search something different. That shouldn't be called quitting, just moving on. But it does involve a certain lack of persistence in something - but should we persist in something we're not so fond of anymore? Probably not.

I never quit my resolution to become a vegetarian.
I haven't quit the story I'm writing (yet).
I didn't quit a relationship even when a positive outcome looked impossible.

Sometimes knowing when to quit is the key. And when that moment comes you know, it feels natural; sometimes the moment is only when you reach the deep end but perhaps it had to be that way.

Other times quitting is a dream. It's a good, releasing and fulfilling dream when you have to do something you don't want to. Often it works for me to imagine that I've quit even though I never actually do. It takes some of the pressure off. It's an option and when we have options we are much happier people.


More scribblings here.

14 comments:

Lucy said...

i agree, knowing when to quit is the key! Knowing when opportunity is knocking is another good key
but sometimes these instincts fail us.
I liked your thoughts in this post and the comparison of giving up smoking-good, diet-bad. :))

Violet said...

I don't like it when people talk about quitting like a bad thing, I feel if you ever think about quitting something it's a good sign that you should quit, because it means it either is not productive anymore or just doesn't make you happy. Quitting means changing, which is essencial for me.
Have you noticed tauruses don't quit? it freaks me out a bit :)

Mahima Shrestha said...

wow!
J,
you look like you were strongest by quitting the things you didn't want!
how like you :)
back on the blogspehere..for while ;)
xxx
m.

Devil Mood said...

Lucy: Yes, they seem to fail. Aren't we paying them enough attention, perhaps? They should work!

Violet: That's what I was thinking when I was writing this, quitting isn't so bad...But I'm afraid I only say that to excuse my escapist tendencies. As usual there needs to be a balance between perseverance and quitting, Taurus probably doesn't have that. Is this a Fixed vs. Mutable thing? And where do the Cardinals stand? ;)

M: Hey! I'm glad you're here. :) I hope you're right!

Granny Smith said...

A nice analysis of that action called "quitting." It can be all you describe - a logical abandonment, a moving on to other activities, or a dream. You're right, too, that knowing when to quit is key.

Anonymous said...

This post is full of good points—the mobility of what quitting can mean and do, the good, the bad, the development in moving on, the admiration to be found in not moving on for good reason, and the all important knowing when to quit and when to hold out. I never have gotten the hang of that because the shoulds (what I think I have to do) block the view of my intuition. And you’ve offered an interesting remedy for that that I’ll have to try!

anthonynorth said...

I think the important thing is that, when you do quit, you don't quit trying to find something else.

Patois42 said...

I like the thought of quitting being a dream sometimes. I can relate to that.

Anonymous said...

you're so right about the key - knowing the when and the why of it all

Anonymous said...

Interesting idea - imagine you quit when you haven't - great post - reflections on quitting which provide food for thought.

http://amarettogirl.squarespace.com/the-written-word/

Devil Mood said...

Granny: Thanks for visiting :)

MissA: Oh do we ever learn?? Really? Are we ever rid of the shoulds and have tos?

AnthonyNorth: Really? I'll have to think about that some more...

Patois: :) yes, it sometimes is...

Danni: We should all be so wise and competent, right? ;)

Amarettogirl: thanks :)

Stephanie said...

I most often quit before I even start. Once a thing is begun, I'm quite tenacious. I'm not sure if either of these are good things, or bad things :S

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, I agree! Quitting is being over it, moving on, changing - you're so eloquent and thought provoking, Thank YOU!

Devil Mood said...

Stephanie: I guess it depends on the reasons behind quitting and not quitting. It's all very relative, I've just realized.

Redness: Oh thank you! I'm the one going all red now ;)