Winners Know What to Quit

For as long as I can remember I conditioned myself to live by the standard “don’t start the race if you have no intention to finish.”

It is quite simple.

If you start something, you see it through.

It may be boring, it may be challenging, you may struggle but no matter what, you do not quit.

Not a bad quality to cultivate if you ask me.

However, there is a second piece of this statement that I failed to implement for a long time: winners know what to quit.

Huh?

Does this mean that winners quit the race they start?

Absolutely not.

Does this mean that after the race is finished they carefully analyze how they performed and make necessary changes: absolutely.

If you think about it, this is actually an incredibly simple strategy that we need to embrace in our life more frequently.

Let me explain.

When assessing a competition, winners will prepare (often months to years at a time) to figure out what it takes to perform at their very best when competition day arrives.

This requires a quick examination of all facets of their life (relationships, community, self care) and what they need to do to be prepared to compete.

Then, they implement a plan, follow the plan, show up, and follow through.

It is only after the end of the competition that the real winners know what to quit.

You see, I view this as an opportunity to not only gain wisdom, knowledge and experience from the competition goal you just completed but to also self reflect on what you will do differently to prepare and execute in the future.

If the work out program they have been following stalls their progress, they change the program.

If the marketing strategy is no longer producing fruit, they change the strategy.

If their diet is no longer sustaining their quality of health, they change their diet.

This is a paradigm shift that we can all stand to live by.

When we are employing someone for services related to our health and well being, it is important that we go all in for the metaphorical race.

Too often, we think we know better than the person we have hired for guidance.

Are there some instances where half time adjustments need to be made, absolutely, but does all out quitting without seeing the end result make sense — definitely no.

Recently, I had a procedure done on my knee. The doctor told me not to squat for 6 months, guess what, I don't squat for 6 months.

If the marketing director tells you the strategy and the costs that it will take to break even, you trust them as the expert and follow the strategy until the agreed upon time and then assess your progress.

These are just two simple examples of commitment but as you know, there is ample opportunity in every avenue of your life to explore where you are in the race and where a course correction is required.

The take away is simple, if you start something with an expected time line, see it through, don’t be a quitter.

When the deadline or expected time frame is complete, assess the original goals and how close you came to achieving them.

Be honest with yourself, your family, your community and your team.

Then make the decision on what to quit and what to keep doing.

This strategy will help you transform your entire health trajectory.

Remember…its 4:45AM and I am out on my morning walk. This is one habit that I have chosen to never quit because of the fruit it yields for my entire well being. What is one commitment you have made that you see through every day of your life?