Picture this: an August run through Germantown.
It’s a sweltering Tennessee summer, because it always is. The heat is ready to ruin your day, but you’re out there anyway. You had a five-mile goal, but now you want to cut it short. Four miles is close enough to five, right? And you’re almost there. You can turn back.
I’ve been there. And you know, I used to think of these moments as a test I was failing (and miserably so). If I felt the urge to quit, I must not have trained hard enough, or I wasn’t tough enough, or I just didn’t want it badly enough.
Pushing through was just a matter of having more willpower than not. If I could outlast it, I could win.
…I don’t do that anymore.
The urge to quit is information, and I had to learn how to read it properly before making my choice.
What is the “Quit Now” Signal Telling Us?
After some reflection, I realized that when I wanted to quit early, it was usually coming from one of three places.
First: My body was truly running low. Dehydration, heat, or a bad night’s sleep were catching up with me. I wasn’t running at my best, and ignoring that is how people end up overexerted and hurt. Cutting things short is the healthier, wiser move when your health is on the line.
Second: I’m mistaking discomfort for danger. Sometimes the physical pains of exertion feel like a problem. But being uncomfortable when doing something hard and demanding is part of the cost. They say nothing worth doing comes easy, and I believe it.
Third: I’m bored or impatient. Look, sometimes I’m not tired. I’m just done thinking about running, my train of thought isn’t engaging, and I just want to move on to the next thing. Maybe I’m phoning it in on that day because I’m itching to get to something “more important.” Not a good reason to call it quits.
We pay a price when we treat each signal the same way and either always push through or always back off. As you can tell, there are valid and not-so-valid reasons we feel like quitting.
What About Wanting to Quit at Work?
This phenomenon isn’t exclusive to running. I hit this same issue at work, and I’m sure most people in leadership roles do, too.
The second-guessing, the wanting out, the commitment that seemed right then but feels too heavy now that you’re in the thick of it.
Discomfort doesn’t mean the decision was wrong.
Sometimes, it is. But it’s also natural resistance when the plan moves from idea to execution, and the idealized version hits reality, nuance, and friction.
But what can you reasonably do when you’re not sure if the discomfort is because of growing pains or natural friction, or because it is, in fact, the wrong call?
Before I let any of these feelings decide anything, I answer three questions:
#1 — Has anything changed since I said yes?
If the facts are the same and my energy is the only difference, it’s just fatigue talking. Unless there’s new information to really consider, it’s not likely to be a case of needing to change course.
#2 — Would I make the same call again with no sunk cost attached?
If I can say yes, absolutely, then I know the urge to quit is just noise. But if I wouldn’t, I need to have an honest conversation with everyone who has a stake in that decision. We might need to pivot after all.
#3 — Am I avoiding a decision or a conversation?
Sometimes the urge to bail is just my trying to avoid one specific, uncomfortable conversation. I have to rip that Band-Aid off and just do it to resolve that nagging “quit now” instinct.
This self-reflection buys me a valuable pause between a feeling and the decision. It’s that room I need to step back and evaluate things. I hope it helps you in the same way.
The Hard Line I Still Draw
Now, I’m not making a case for pushing through everything all the time. Some things go beyond discomfort and start costing you sleep, health, and precious time with family. For me, those things are clear-cut signals to stop and reevaluate.
Use those three questions when the signals are blurry and emotional urges overwhelm logical decision-making.
What do you do when you feel the urge to quit or cut something short? I want to hear your thought process in the comments.