#348: Could Quitting Be the Key to Success? Inspirational Reasons Letting Go Sparks Personal Growth

Your host, Kevin Lowe, he's been flipping the script on his own life, turning over 20 years of being completely blind into straight up inspiration, motivation and encouragement just for you.

So kick back, relax and let me introduce you to your host, Kevin Lowe.

You put yourself in the picture. It's 2 a.m. You're working on that project.

You're working on that business venture, the side hustle, the thing that you've been grinding away at. you're burning the midnight candle at both ends.

At the same point, you can't help but wonder, is this really what success looks like?

And the truth is, we've all been there. We've all found ourselves pushing through.

Keep going through the motions because we are determined to make it work.

We're told you have to work hard. You have to fight for what you want, right?

Success does not come easy. That's what they tell us.

And maybe in certain situations, that advice is true. But maybe it's not always the case. Because what if that advice, that never quit attitude, is exactly what's holding you back in life?

Today, I want to talk about what I'm calling strategic quitting.

Strategic quitting, it's not about giving up at the first sign of trouble.

It's not about you playing it safe either.

It's not about you not willing to put in the work, but rather it's you being able to recognize when something is no longer serving you and you having the courage to walk away.

I spent seven years grinding away at being a travel agent.

In 2013, I opened the doors to Better Days Travel.

And for the next seven years, I did the grind. I put in the work.

I was burning the candle at both ends until 2020 came.

And the pandemic, well, it made the choice for me.

It closed my business, and I didn't even have to make that decision.

But here's the thing, is I realized something really powerful, is that I had been fighting, constantly paddling upstream for the past seven years, determined to make this business venture work.

When I started this podcast and I got started coaching, I got started public speaking.

It was like I was floating downstream.

I didn't know where exactly the stream was going to take me, but I knew it felt right. I knew I was finally on that right path in life.

It doesn't have to be hard.

Now, that doesn't mean that I don't work at my business. Goodness gracious, no.

I'm working more than most people do. But the fact is true.

It doesn't have to be difficult. If it's so difficult that you're waking up at 3 a.m.

Dreading what you're about to endure that day, well, then my friend, that's probably a really big sign that it's time for you to quit.

Because here's the thing. What if by you quitting actually opened the door to something amazing?

You can't experience new opportunities unless you're willing to give up others.

To help you put this into action, I want you to get out pen and paper.

And I want you to write down three things that you're committed to right now.

Three things that you're working towards, that you're working on in your life.

Now, next to each of those three items, I want you to write down how they make you feel.

Does it energize you or does it drain you?

Does it align with who you are or is it maybe kind of pushing the boundaries a bit?

If you're looking at that list and you're looking at how it makes you feel and you can't really find much good, then, my friend, maybe it's a sign that something needs to change.

That knot in your stomach that comes when you just start thinking about the things you're working on. It's okay.

Maybe that's just a sign that something's not quite in alignment.

Life is all about a constant up and down cycle of life.

I oftentimes refer to life as a roller coaster.

Sometimes it's big drops. Other times it's the double loop.

And sometimes it's the slow chug to the top.

You just have to be real with yourself on what part of that roller coaster you're on.

If you are on nothing but a constant grind, constantly chugging your weight up to the top, and it's not fulfilling you, well, then my friend, maybe it's time for you to do something different so that you can start coasting downhill a little bit more often.

It's about you being willing to quit the things that are no longer serving you.

Only you know what that is. I'm just trying to encourage you to look at life a little bit different.

Now, when it comes to quitting strategically, let's talk about how to quit strategically.

First off, it's not about burning bridges, but rather think about it closing doors gently.

I want you to understand that everything in this life, I believe, is constantly working for our good.

Now, yeah, there's some stuff we go through that's bad, but in the big picture, I believe it's all making us a better version of us.

So I encourage you, when you shut the door on this experience, on this opportunity, on this thing that you've been working on, I want you to give it the respect it deserves.

Acknowledge it. Appreciate it for the person that it's made you.

That it's gotten you one step closer to where you're supposed to be in life.

The second step is I want you to focus on what you're moving towards rather than just what you're leaving behind. You have to remember that quitting something that no longer serves you, it's opening up space for things to enter your life that do.

And so if you're sitting there thinking to yourself that you're just not sure, well, imagine the amount of time that you free up in your day if you do quit.

If it's no longer serving you, if you hate what you're doing, if it's draining you, if it's making you show up to life, to the world, to your family, is not your best self, then imagine if you just got rid of it, if you just quit.

The biggest thing I want you to understand about quitting strategically is it's not a failure.

It's a recalibration. It's you making small little adjustments to make life fit you a little bit better.

So if you are ready to take control of your life and acknowledge the fact that this isn't working for me anymore, then my friend, you're one step closer to where you need to be.

So as we wrap up today's episode, I encourage you to look back at that list you made. There's three things that you're working towards.

And I want you to look at them and figure out if any of them need to be crossed off.

What is the thing that's holding you back from your truest potential?

What is the thing that no longer gets you excited? What is the thing that's no longer serving you? What is the thing that has you showing up to your family, to your work, to life, not as your best self?

Whatever that is, then my friend, I'm encouraging you to go ahead and quit.

And I'll leave you with this. Sometimes the bravest thing you can ever do is to walk away.

You'll never know what new opportunities await on the other side if you never have the courage to quit, to let go in pursuit of something more.

With that, my friend, I hope today's episode inspired you, motivated you, maybe empowered you to just quit. If you ever have something that you would love to ask me, You would love to reach out to me.

Check out today's show notes. There's a link where you can send me a private voice message.

There's also a link where you can book a free 30-minute one-on-one call with me where we can sit down and we can just talk about what you're going through.

We're coming up. It's the end of 2024, entering a new year.

There's excitement. There's anticipation. And maybe you want to make some big changes in your life.

Well, hit me up. Like I said, contact info is all in the show notes.

Send me a voice message, book a time for us to talk. I would love to be able to help you out however I can.

And with that, my friend, I send you out into the world, hoping you have the most amazing day ever.

Again, I'm Kevin Lowe, and this was another episode of Grit, Grace, & Inspiration.

Music.