To Quit or Not to Quit – ElPropósito3 min de lectura

How to know when it’s the right time to walk away

Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash

At my young age, and thanks to my endless curiosity, I’ve been lucky to take part in projects, studies, ventures and jobs of every kind. I’ve surrounded myself with people, many of them mentors, who have always added something to my life, above all their trust and their guidance on important questions. I’ve also had to make drastic decisions when I sensed something nudging me toward the door. How did I do it? Read on.

Quitting, accepting the inevitable, giving up. We’re not used to these words and find them hard to accept. Even today, "a change of course" is frowned upon. Why? I think the answer lies in our beliefs and the culture we live in: "giving up is for losers", "quitting is for the weak". Nothing could be further from the truth in a century whose mantra is "fail fast, fail cheap and always learn".

What drives someone to quit, and what are we really giving up? First, quitting can mean a change. Those changes are often needed to protect a person’s integrity, especially their peace and calm, two long-term guarantees. So any environment that erodes those two things is the main signal, and the main reason, to move, move fast and move with full conviction that you’re doing the right thing.

When you’re clear on your Life Purpose, phrases like "never give up" make sense. Someone who knows where they’re going and why they’re in this world knows quitting is a powerful tool. It lets them sidestep obstacles, shed dead weight and, above all, recharge to open new paths toward their destination. They also know full well that reaching one summit just reveals the next one to climb.

Chasing our dreams and passions will always lead the way in every decision we make. As Viktor Frankl wrote in his wonderful book: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms, to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way."

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. This week’s VELA:

• Viewing: You are not where you come from, you are where you’re going. A wonderful video. My takeaway: "…seek goals you can control, ones you know you can achieve through your own effort alone".
• Listening to: How to turn a group of strangers into a team. The story of the mine in Chile where 33 miners became a team and survived. Phenomenal.
• Reading: The Physician (Médico de cuerpos y almas). A great book I highly recommend, one of those that had been chasing me for a while until we finally met.
• Learning: The five trademarks of agile organizations. A subject I work on more and more and see constantly in organizations.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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