How to Not Quit…When You Want to Quit
For people who are tired, but not done.
Sam is ready to quit. 2 years in. Nothing to show for it.
People around him are succeeding faster. He questions everything.
His energy is gone. Even after a full night of sleep.
His morning thoughts start with:
“I don’t know if I should keep going or if I’m just wasting my time.”
And then…
“I’ll give it one more _____ (day, week, month).”
I admit I’ve felt like Sam a time or two in my life.
What if your coworker is more talented?
And you only have grit. Who will win?
Psychologist Angela Duckworth used science to figure it out.
Her studies showed that grit is better than IQ, talent, or socioeconomic background.
She wrote a book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
It looks like this.
These are 3 mistakes people make regarding perseverance.
Use how you “feel” to measure progress instead of movement. [Wrong]
Compare your behind-the-scenes to someone’s highlight reel. [Wrong]
Treat perseverance like a personality trait (“I’m not that disciplined “) instead of a daily decision. [Wrong]
Don’t do these.
Here’s a solution.
I got it from the book The Gap and The Gain, and it changed my life.
Instead of looking at how far you have to go. Look back at how far you’ve come.
A farmer watered the dirt for 4 years straight.
He watered the dirt for 4 years straight.
Year 1 — nothing.
Year 2 — nothing.
Year 3 — nothing.
Year 4 — still nothing, just dirt.
But in year 5?
A Chinese Bamboo Tree grew 80 feet from a seed in six weeks.
It wasn’t doing nothing for four years.
It was building a root system strong enough to support what was coming.
You work the same way.
That certification no one noticed? Roots.
The project that flopped? Roots.
The mornings you showed up when no one was watching? Roots.
Stop measuring your growth by what’s above the surface.
You’re not behind.
You’re building roots.
And your fifth year is coming.
See you in the next one!
-Lance
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