Quitting Isn’t Always Negative – In Fact, Quitting Is Beautiful

Luke Ellis Craven

I’ve heard people say, “Quitting is for losers” while growing up. And that phrase lived inside my head for so many years. I thought it was a great motivation. I thought that whatever situation you are in or wherever place you get stuck at — you’re supposed to stay no matter what.

You’re supposed to endure your unhappiness, and wish that when you wake up tomorrow, your hell will look a lot less ugly. You’re supposed to force yourself to love something that your heart doesn’t really like. You’re supposed to stick around even if all you want to do is leave, and run away.

Because you’re going to give people a wrong impression of you when you quit. You’re giving them a reason to look down on you and judge you as weak. You’re allowing them to have something terrible to say behind your back.

But I’m here to tell you that quitting doesn’t make you a loser. It doesn’t make you weak. It doesn’t make you look like someone who’s lost and confused in his or her life. It doesn’t make you a villain for turning around and closing your doors to some people.

Quitting makes you a wiser person. Quitting liberates every fiber of your being. Quitting proves that you are brave.

Because you are strong enough to stand on your ground and let people know the principles that you have. You are smart enough to walk away from a place that suffocates you. A place that gives your heart more reasons to be tormented, to be hateful, to be unsatisfied. You are mature enough to choose the kind of world or situation that you want to live in.

You see, people consider quitting as a negative trait. But quitting actually brings you to the place that you’re meant to be.

Quitting drives you away from the bad options that you’ve chosen for yourself. Quitting helps you kick-start a new life that you’ve always dreamed of.

And quitting is beautiful.

It encourages you to chase what’s really important to you. It wants you to hear the beating of your heart and listen to what it’s saying. It inspires you to continually search for something that is right for you.

Quitting reminds you to not be afraid of taking the biggest leap. It reminds you to not feel intimidated in choosing a different route in life. It reminds you to not let other people dictate you which way to go, which way is more convenient, which way is going to earn you more respect.

This is your journey and you’re allowed to shake your head.

You don’t owe anyone some explanations every time you say “No”. You don’t have to apologize for rejecting an idea you’re not enthusiastic about, or you don’t believe in.

A lot of people are scared to jump and quit because of what they’ve been told. They’re frightened to fight against the demons that are holding them back. They’re concerned with what other people might say and think about them.

But it’s okay to be selfish and focus on what your heart desires. It’s okay to surrender and announce that you’ve had enough. It’s okay to stop pretending you’re happy, when you’re collapsing from inside out.

No one knows your suffering. No one knows the thoughts that are circulating inside your head. No one understands what’s beating inside your heart.

And at the end of the day, it is you who knows what’s best for you. It is you who gets to decide when to stay, and when to walk away. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

More From Thought Catalog