Don't Be a Quitter

What kind of person would you be now if you had quit then?

It depends, right? Quit what?

I quit baseball when I was 12 or 13 years old because I was no good at it. Actually, I was pretty good except when the ball was headed toward me. The last year I played, I struck out all but once. Rarely did I even swing. Why? Because I had been hit by pitches too many times. And I had taken a ground ball off my nose and a fly ball off by forehead. The one time I did not strike out that year was a walk and after I made it on first base I almost got picked off because I wasn't paying attention…I hadn't been there much.

If you read this blog very often you probably know that I love baseball. I know a lot about the game. I know much of the intricacies that should make me a good player or maybe a coach. But when I could have formed and honed the skills I quit. I don't have any thoughts that I could have been a pro ballplayer but I do wish I had played longer.

Quitting relinquishes opportunity.

I have a friend who quit on his marriage. He messed up and she was pretty made at him, understandably. But he couldn't see a reason to try to reconcile so he quit. Quitting relinquishes opportunity.

I've worked with people who were on the cusp of solving a major problem but just didn't finish. They were done but they weren't finished. They just couldn't make themselves try one more solution or brainstorm one more time or work late one more day. Another company finished and got the business. Quitting relinquishes opportunity.

We have no way to know what will happen next if we keep on trying. We can be certain of what will happen next if we quit.

All this applies to quitting something you really should stick with. Check back in a few days for some thoughts on sticking with something you really should quit.