I’ve been going through something of a quarter life crisis ever since I graduated from university last year and I finally wanted to chat about it a little today, out loud.
I studied Statistics and Computer Science but I’ve never been particularly passionate about either of those subjects. So I was super hesitant to actually get a job in my field only to get stuck in the rat race and end up hating my life.
Long story short, I haven’t had a full time job in the last year and a bit while I try to figure out what I want to do with my life.
Actually, I know exactly what I want to do but that makes me super picky when applying to jobs which in turn makes it harder to actually get a job. I know it’s a pretty unpopular mindset to have right out of university but mental well-being is pretty high on my list of things that make me successful. And working a job I hated would completely crush my spirit.
Been there. Done that. Burned the t-shirt. Never going back.
At first, I carried a lot of guilt and found myself constantly explaining my decision in an almost apologetic way to people who were completely unaffected. But eventually I got over it because this is what’s best for me. And now I own my choices.
But, the ironic thing is that while I’m okay with essentially quitting my field to find something that serves me, I struggle with doing it in other areas of my life.
I can’t always let go when things stop working
Take my fitness, for example. I’ve been going to GoodLife Fitness for about 4 years now and I absolutely love it. I started off with group fitness classes then transitioned to lifting as I found my groove and got more serious about working out. And I stuck with lifting consistently for almost 3 years.
Even when it started to feel like a chore and I didn’t enjoy it at all anymore.
I have spent the last year or so trying to find ways to force myself to love something I’d grown to hate. Partly because I felt like I’d invested too much time into it to quit now. And partly because I used to identify so much with being a ‘lifter’ that switching to a more relaxed approach to fitness made me feel like I’d somehow failed.
But you know what?
I’m finally ready to officially say ‘eff it’ when it comes to lifting.
It served me for a long time but it doesn’t anymore and I need to accept that. So what if I want to do more step classes? Or try a spin class for the first time in years? Or do all the yoga?
Maybe I’ll even try jogging again one of these days just to really spice things up. And if I ever want to lift again, I’ll lift or just do a BodyPump class.
Yeah, my muscles may not be as visible and I might be as ‘strong’ as I used to. But the world will keep turning.
And I’ll be happy AF while it does.
Because it’s okay to quit
Contrary to popular belief, quitting isn’t actually the end of the world. It takes a crap tonne of courage and self-awareness to sit up and say ‘hey, maybe this isn’t working for me’. And then do something about it.
So forget what other people might think or the unrealistic or outdated expectations you have of yourself. If something isn’t serving you, even after you’ve tried your best to make it work, then give it up already and go find something that will.
Because life is way too freakin’ short to spend it doing things that you hate.
What about you?
What are you holding on to for all the wrong reasons?
Liked this post? Check out this one on self-sabotage:
This post was written as part of the GoodLife Fitness Blogger Ambassador Program; however all opinions expressed are my own.
Learning to give up on the things that the Lord doesn’t have for me is so freeing, but it is hard at first. However, when you realize that that really is not for you, it’s wonderful to just let go.
Emily Swanson recently posted…Strawberries n’ Cream Smoothies and More Summer Smoothies!
Love this! Yes its totally okay to quit when you are miserable and hate what your doing, I know how that feels and I agree 100%, thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thank you for writing this post. It takes courage to share our deeper selves. Change seems to be so frightening to some of us, yet it is the essence of life. Learning to recognize our own true selves and where we are meant to be for a space of time is pricelesst, but it changes!
What a gift you received to know to let go. We only have one go-around in this life, one body, one self to express to this world in this time.
Let’s learn to make it as good as we can, enjoy as much as we can, and share our precious selves with each other as you have here, Giselle. Never waste your time in misery due to your own choices! Make another choice!
I waited 7 months after finishing my internship to find my perfect job. It sucked when all my friends already had jobs, but I needed to know I’d be happy in my job. I think it’s a smart decision to hold out until you find a good fit for you rather than be miserable in a job you hate! 🙂
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This is a great post! Sometimes it is hard to no when to let go and even harder to give yourself permission to do so. Thanks for sharing this, very good reminder!!
I pride myself in not being a quitter, or giving up… But then again, I never take on pursuits I know I will not be able to accomplish 😉
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It’s not really quitting you are just ready to make better choices for yourself. I think it’s great that you choose to be happy in your field and in your workout
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It’s interesting how we create these “rules” for ourselves like “You have to lift to really be ‘fit'” or “I need to eat healthy ALL the time” We’re the ones putting the pressure on ourselves! I like what you wrote a lot. Sometimes we just need to realize that this is our own made-up rule, and we certainly do not have to follow it.
Kayla @ Blondes Have More Run recently posted…Runner’s World Half & Festival 2016
This is exactly the problem, at least for me. No one would care if I ‘failed’ at something but I have this unwritten rule in my head that makes quitting impossible.
Yes, if you don’t enjoy the process or commitment it’s fine to call it quits.
Ilka recently posted…My Training Log Week October 24th – Half-Marathon Training
Love this perspective! Sometimes we need to let go of the things that never serve us anymore, and sometimes they come back to us because we learn to love it again!
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I love this. I have a really hard quitting as I feel like a failure but realized the world will go on and it’s better than being unhappy. I’ve been having some internal debates as you and trying to figure out next steps. I actually will be stepping outside of my comfort zone and I purchased a month of barre classes when they open up by me in the next few weeks. As far as life well I’m not doing what I went to school for, or what I did for years working in “the real world”. I’m still debating if blogging is really for me as it was just for fun and now stuck in the so I really try doing something with it.
Hmm. I do agree with you that moving on is quite all right. But I’m thinking you didn’t actually “quit”. I guess I associate quitting with giving up before you actually try. Sounds like you were trying for a long time and it was working. But now you’re moving on to things that are more effective. That’s not quitting. That’s being smart. That’s being healthy, happy and open-minded. And really, it’s best to change up your fitness routine anyways. Congrats!
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I ended up quiting a high-profile really good job because it was slowly killing me. I totally get this. 🙂
It really is okay to quit, even though so many people tell you it isn’t. I went through a similar thing when I left university.
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I totally hear where you are coming from. Quitting has so many negative mental connotations to it when, in many cases, it is so freeing and refreshing.
I am currently going through something similar regarding my social circle. Some friendships aren’t serving me anymore and I am learning that I don’t have to feel guilty for letting some people go.
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