Winners Always Quit

This is a book my mom picked up when she was serving her tour of duty in WA state. I didn’t have an interest in reading it until I started my 30 Days of Good Habits routine. I managed to read the introduction last night before going to bed, and wanted to share a piece of it with you and how it has become relevant to my life. The first couple of pages introduce the positive idea of “quitting” and how change can be a positive force in our lives.

“Yes, change is good for everyone but us.

Things are not going quite right, but we convince ourselves that to quit doing one thing and begin doing something else could make things worse. It feels safer, more comfortable, to keep doing the same old thing rather than doing something else that might lead to better results. It’s like the old vaudeville routine:

Patient: It hurts when I do this
Doctor: Then quit doing that

Quitting is required for success when, in order to do the right thing, you have to quit doing the wrong thing. To quit is to change, and change is tough, because our fear of things getting worse naturally overshadows our hope of improving the situation. We focus on potential disadvantages, even when we know success hinges on change.”

Two weeks ago, I decided I would change things up. I had been rather inactive for the better part of the semester and I had finally had enough. I took note of things I wanted to change before I left for Korea, primarily, I wanted to feel healthy again. I know myself well enough to realize I don’t keep New Years Resolutions and it takes roughly 30 days to form a habit. That’s when I decided to try 30 Days of Good Habits, meaning 30 days of getting up at a decent hour, exercising at least 6 days a week, document what I eat, eat smaller portions of healthier food, drink a ton of water and try to write every day.

It’s taken a great deal of dedication, but each day had become easier and my mood has definitely improved tenfold. I’ve added new foods I used to hate to my diet and haven’t really missed any junk food except the occasional burger. I make more things from scratch than I did before and I love it.

As for the writing, that didn’t come in until a few days ago. The excuse was almost spot-on what I included from the book, I was focused on potential disadvantages. I was afraid I couldn’t dedicate myself to a schedule for writing. But guess what came about after I already had my workout routine down? The writing, the inspiration, the creativity. The love I had missed for years, and with it came a belief in myself. I had the kind of confidence we sometimes misplace when we know from past experience we’re good at something, but haven’t done that something for a long time. It was amazing, and worth the guts it took to get through all the negative thoughts that had been secretly building up in the back of my mind.

What would you quit to make a positive change in your life?

Advertisement