Professional Quitter, Finding something worth staying for.

“If at first you don’t succeed try try again, then quit there’s no point in being a (damn) fool about it.

W.C Fields 

When I was young, from three and up, I tried gymnastics, dance (ballet and tap), violin, guitar, piano, flute, trombone, clarinet, and choir—before deciding music was stupid and I was never going to be a musician. Additionally, I tried soccer, basketball, 4-5 styles of martial arts before age 15, drama, softball, even bowling, art classes, swimming, and sewing. Due to various storms and circumstances, I attended 7 different schools from pre-K to my senior year of high school.

Some things were my choice, others the cards that were dealt to me, but none of these experiences were losses. Many things I stayed the full season and a few I quit in the middle, but in the end you can get something from every one of those experiences—learn new skills, build relationships, but also learn how to build a Renaissance mind and experience the adventure of trying new things. The new gear, the new lingo, swimming miles a day in the cold—did it hurt me? No. Did it help me? Yes. And I still found the thing that was worth investing the most of my time in.

If you find yourself in a place to quit, I encourage you to quit strategically and respectfully. Don’t burn down the bridge if the troll isn’t chasing after you—you never know if you’re going to need a shortcut to complete your next quest. As a parent or facilitator, you can encourage the process of following through on a student’s commitment, but also not everything has to be turned into a sufferfest or a lesson if the fit is terrible.