Knowing when to walk away
Photo by Mantas Hesthaven on Unsplash
This past week there’s been a lot of saga about knowing when to quit or never even quitting. I must confess I have been deeply disturbed by some of the negative comments I have seen on social media about people promoting a toxic hardworking culture. This week just made me realize how deeply most of us have lost touch with our sense of self.
It made me question whether we truly know when to walk away or if we keep pushing for some public validation or egoistic satisfaction.
In this new age, there is an insane drive for achievement. Everyone wants to make it and make it big. We have promoted the slogans of “Don’t quit, Never Give Up, Keep pushing” for so long that we have failed to also teach people that sometimes it’s okay to take a break, to pause, and recalibrate. We have failed to teach people that we don’t always have to live up to the world’s expectations of us. And we have failed to teach people to prioritize themselves and their mental health. Instead, it is considered selfish and cowardly the minute we put ourselves first and walk away.
As I grow older I question the significance behind chasing things to the detriment of losing ourselves. This blog is not written to encourage laziness or mediocrity. Rather, it is a call to know when to walk away. It is a call to know when to pat yourself on the back and know you have done the best you can. It is a call to stop comparing our strengths with the strengths of others. I know comparison is done as an act of encouragement, but sometimes it drives us to an edge beyond recovery.
We need to learn that as much as it’s a nice feeling to win, sometimes our victory is also in the efforts. So, what are some of the signs that tell us it’s time to walk away and call it quits?
When your mental and physical health is being threatened
When your priorities change- sometimes we go through life and some things don’t matter so much to us anymore. For example, in a season our families might take priorities over our career
It’s okay to walk away when you discover you are in the wrong place, you don’t have to stay back to prove anything to anyone about your competence
There are so many other reasons why you might choose to call it quits after you have tried hard, and that’s okay too. Walking away or calling it quits after you have tried doesn’t make you a failure. We must also remember that even the act of walking away from something you had committed to is an act of bravery. It sure takes a lot of guts.
I am interested in hearing the thoughts of other people who have found the courage to walk away from people, situations, and things that no longer served their purpose.
Like I said earlier, my thoughts are not to promote an extreme measure of laziness or mediocrity, but rather to bring balance to the societal expectation that asks us to never give up.
