Does Quitting Make You a Quitter?

Do you ever consider quitting something but feel like you’d be giving up or cheating in some way?  Or be a quitter?

Maybe you’re 20 minutes into a movie you can’t stand, but you keep watching it.  

Or you’re forcing yourself to finish a book a friend loaned you.

Or you’re months into a work or personal project & are now questioning, “What is the purpose of this again?”

I have to ask myself all the time...If I stop doing X, am I giving up?  Or am I making a rational decision that’s in my best interest & will allow me to spend my time more wisely & progress faster?  

I had to ask myself this question at my kickboxing class a few days ago.  I felt like crap, but I went, anyway.  I hadn’t worked out in a couple days, I was adjusting to the kids’ new schedule, blah, blah, blah...So of course I didn’t feel like going.  But those were just excuses if I didn’t go, right? So I went.

But as I stretched before class, I strongly considered staying on the mat for a short nap.  Just right there in the middle of the bags as people kicked around me.  Would that be weird?

Somehow it convinced myself to get up...Yes, it would be weird.  

So I kept going. I was able to kick once for about every 10 kicks the instructor counted, so it was better than nothing, right?

Then I considered lying down on the mat again...Maybe the floor by the bathroom?  It wouldn’t be that weird, would it?

Finally, I realized I was being stupid.  

What was I trying to prove?  And to whom?

Was I expecting a medal at the end?  A ceremony with a speech?  

“Well done, Sheri.  You managed to stay for the entire workout today.  Yes, you slept on the floor for 30 minutes, but you stayed!”

So I left.  I went home & slept for an hour & felt relatively coherent the rest of the day.  The following day I felt even closer to normal.  

And the next, I returned to class & didn’t once consider sleeping on the floor.  

Had I not left class that day...Had I forced myself to get through it simply to finish & prove that I could, would I have been better the next day?  Or even the next?

My point is…Quitting doesn’t make you a quitter.  

Sometimes it’s exactly what you need to spend your time on the right things & progress even faster.  

What have you considered quitting?  When?  Why?  What could you potentially GAIN if you did?