Episode #111 Quitting Is Okay

Not every movie is worth finishing, and not everything we start is worth continuing. This week, college dropout turned entrepreneur Ben Vollmar joins Dr. Michael Brown in a conversation about values, commitments, and mindset.

Show Notes

Rather than looking down at the ground and seeing the grass color, I think the more important thing is looking up and knowing where your North Star is to help guide you.
Ben Vollmar

Three Problems

  • The way we’ve always done it is not always the way we should always do it.
  • Some of the choices we make on a regular basis are unhealthy and unhelpful.
  • Quitting is most difficult when we equate our work with our worth.

Five Principles

  • Sometimes we need to quit something in order to make room for something more important.
  • Quitting isn’t always the easy way out, and it can often be the hard way in.
  • The sum of who we are is not composed exclusively of what we do.
  • Persistence may be the final ingredient of success, but the first and most essential ingredient is perspective.
  • Nothing worth quitting is worth continuing simply because we’ve “already come this far.”

Three Practices

  • Create a weekly rhythm of reflection when you ask the questions, “Is it working?” and “Do I still believe in it?”
  • Engage in the following mind exercise: “What would I do if I quit my job?”
  • Before quitting something, consider whether the decision is mature or premature and whether the choice reflects courage or cowardice.

One Perspective

  • “A hallmark of wisdom is knowing when to grit and when to quit.” – Adam Grant