When You Feel Like Quitting

Hey, Cadre, family doctor Carey here. The more you want to quit, the more you have to quit. I heard these words spoken last week by a motivational speaker, and it resonated with me so deeply on so many levels. I am not a quitter. I've never been considered a quitter. My parents instilled those values in me at a very young age. We just didn't quit things. So I don't consider myself somebody who quits when things get hard. In fact, I am extremely tenacious, and I will just dig in even more and achieve anything that I put in front of me.

But I can tell you that since jumping out on my own in this entrepreneurial journey that I'm on, where finances are rocky at best, and I don't really know what I'm doing with myself every day. I have wanted to quit at least once a week, and that is just a new thing for me because I've entertained the idea, and it's just not an option. That's just not how I'm wired. Quitting is not an option. And so hearing this guy say that phrase, the more you want to quit, the more you have to quit, really stuck with me because I realized that is so true.

The people that are successful in life didn't quit. Right. They stuck with it when things got hard, when challenges came their way, when obstacles came their way. There's so many stories of people, of Olympic athletes, of billionaires, you know, serial entrepreneurs that didn't quit. That's why they're successful, because they didn't quit when it got hard. And then the other thing this speaker said was, quitting is actually a sign of wanting to quit is actually a sign of success. And I was like, oh, that makes me feel so much better.

Oh, my gosh. Thank you. So the fact that I want to quit means I'm successful. Great. But honestly, it's so true. Because if you didn't want to quit, there'd be nothing at stake, right. Like, you wouldn't be on the verge of a breakthrough, you wouldn't be doing well, you wouldn't be successful at what you're doing if you wanted to quit. If you didn't want to quit, you wouldn't really be challenged in any ways. Right. So that really spoke to me, too. And the advice that I can give you, if you're in this place of wanting to quit something is just don't.

First of all, entertaining the idea of quitting is kind of like a fun daydream for me, like, once a week. Oh, my job was so much easier when I would just clock in and clock out at the hospital, and I knew exactly what I was doing every day, and I could pretty much do that job on autopilot. And it was fun. It was exciting. I was saving people's lives in the ER. And so I kind of daydream about it sometimes, which is okay, because it gives me that escape, but the fact that I actually want to quit is a good thing.

So leaning into that and then saying, but there is no other option right now, I have no backup plan, which is how I need it to be, because that means I can't quit. Right? So I wanna give you that piece of advice. First of all, that don't have a backup plan if you're trying something new, especially if you're jumping out and trying an entrepreneurial thing, don't have a backup plan. You're just gonna fall into it. If things get too tough, you'll fall into it and you'll wanna quit, and you'll go right back to your backup plan.

And then just honor where you're at with wanting to quit. It's okay to want to quit. It's okay. Just don't do it and press in. And then the last piece of advice I want to give you is, don't tell anyone that you want to quit. I've now live streamed this on Cadre, which was against that rule right there. But don't call up the people that are closest to you that are going to say, you know what? I think it's a good idea that you quit. This has gotten really hard. I can see the stress that it's had on your life.

Surround yourself with the right people, but only tell a few trusted people that you want to quit. The people that you know are going to make it that you can't. I remember when I was driving out to San Diego, and I told my friend who was driving with me, I said, regardless of what happens on this drive, do not let me quit. Do not let me turn around. I know I'm supposed to be in San Diego. I know God called me to be in San Diego, and no matter what happens, don't let me turn around. And she was the best friend ever because she honored that said, oh, my gosh, there were so many times I was going to tell you to turn around, but you told me not to because it was like the drive from h***, and like, you just.

Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, and it was like I wasn't supposed to be going to San Diego. But I knew I was, and so I surrounded myself with somebody who I knew was going to honor that and not let me quit. So make sure that the people you talk to about wanting to quit are going to give you the right advice. And so talk to them when you're in the right state of mind, obviously, and when you're not in a place of wanting to quit. But say, you know what? If I come to you and I'm saying I've just encountered too many obstacles, too many challenges and I can't do it anymore, that they have a response for you that you've already told them that they have the, you know what, Carrie?

I know it's really hard right now, and I just want to acknowledge where you're at, but I know you don't want to quit. And I'm going to be with you here during this because I know what's on the other side of other side of you not quitting is so amazing and you're going to regret if you quit. So surround yourself with those people and prompt them for what to say to you. But don't just tell the world that you want to quit because there's going to be a lot of people that want to feed into that and that are going to want to acknowledge your emotions and where you're at.

But what is on the other side of you not quitting, I guarantee, is so amazing and so successful. And I just want to be that person to tell you don't quit. You can want to quit. You can daydream about it, but don't do it. Because the things that happen for people, the successes in life that people had, the amazing outcomes of people that have helped so many people in this world were because they didn't quit. That's what set them apart. So be that person today.