{"id":49605,"date":"2017-05-23T19:43:53","date_gmt":"2017-05-24T03:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=49605"},"modified":"2017-09-12T14:14:20","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T22:14:20","slug":"how-to-succeed-by-quitting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-succeed-by-quitting\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Succeed by Quitting"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel so trapped! We need the money.\u201d I was terrified. I had spent ten years being a lawyer, and many years before that striving to be exactly where I was. Well, maybe not striving to be crying in my therapist’s office which is where I was at that moment, but striving to be an attorney. My therapist\u00a0nodded empathetically and said, \u201cbut do you? Really? Does your daughter need money or a mom who isn\u2019t having weekly anxiety attacks?\u201d<\/p>\n

The act of lawyering was a wonderful experience, when I got to do it. \u00a0But as a relatively junior attorney, I was just someone\u00a0else\u2019s briefcase, carrying all the knowledge but doing very little of the substantive work. Of course, the pressure and stress were none the less for my lack of authority.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>It took returning to work after the birth of my first child to jolt me into action. Suddenly anxiety attacks and being a briefcase weren\u2019t compelling enough reasons to leave my precious child in the care of another person 10 hours a day. But how could I let go of being a lawyer? I\u2019d worked so hard to get there. It seemed like such a waste to walk away before I \u201cmade it.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

With the help of my supportive and tenacious therapist, and my husband, I finally quit. It was scary but I learned five crucial lessons that have delivered me from quitting a job I hated to a successful life. <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Know That Experience is Never Wasted<\/b>
\n<\/b>
\n<\/span>Just as energy can never be destroyed, experience is never wasted. Instead it moves to support your next endeavour. <\/span><\/p>\n

If I hadn\u2019t worked all those years as an attorney on writing and research, my blog would be far less interesting. If I hadn\u2019t learned the art of persuasion, my daughter would be eating cheetos for dinner. I may not be a practicing lawyer anymore but I am certainly using all of the tools I gained as an attorney. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>2. You Are Not What You Do<\/b>
\n<\/b>
\n<\/span>You are not a lawyer, real estate agent, florist, cardiologist, mom, or wife. Don\u2019t accept the easy label. And do not endure misery eight hours out of the day just to maintain that label. <\/span><\/p>\n

You are a person living the most unique experience on the planet because it is yours alone. Make of it what you will.<\/p>\n

3. Quitting is Not Failure<\/b>
\n<\/b>
\n<\/span>I was so concerned that quitting the law meant that I had failed at being a lawyer. <\/span><\/p>\n

Then I realized that adjusting one\u2019s actions due to external circumstances is not failure. It is pivoting and adapting to a changing landscape. Continuing on as if nothing had happened would be failure. Pretending my dream of lawyering aligned with reality despite all evidence to the contrary would be failure.<\/p>\n

Quitting what doesn\u2019t serve you anymore is growth, self-knowledge and wisdom. Own it for the positive action it is.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Your<\/strong>\u00a0Family Needs YOU<\/b>
\n<\/b>
\n<\/span>Your children don\u2019t need a label. They need you: engaged, happy, passionate, and present. Yes, you need to make enough income to live. No you don\u2019t have to stay home with your kids to give them what they need (unless that\u2019s what you want!). But it is amazing how much you can reduce your needed income when you start prioritizing happiness over money or fancy titles.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>For instance, my husband and I moved out of our uber-expensive city suburb to a quiet town. He went back to school and I am exploring a profession that doesn\u2019t cause panic attacks. Rent in our new town is half the price of rent where we used to live. Childcare, gym memberships, food and utilities are all far less expensive here as well.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Of course, you can bank small savings by canceling your cable programming. But sometimes you have to think bigger to live a life you love.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>5. Embrace Change<\/b>
\n<\/b>
\n<\/span>You are not trapped. Sometimes life pivots on you in a way that makes you feel cornered. You feel you have to keep doing what you\u2019re doing because to do otherwise would be a waste, a failure, or too risky financially. So you keep doing it despite the consequences. <\/span><\/p>\n

But life has a way of pushing you back into that corner until you either go mad or change. I\u2019m here to suggest you choose change, sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

Ask yourself, what can I change to free myself? Why is this not working for me anymore?<\/span><\/p>\n

If you’re feeling trapped, remember that\u00a0quitting is not failure. It is instead proof that you have successfully read the signs and are following your path regardless of your previously held assumptions of what the path \u201cshould\u201d be.<\/p>\n

\n

This is a guest post by Ashley Rupp who provides practical tips for personal growth on her blog Reining in Mom<\/a>. She inspires moms to make themselves a priority and thrive with well-researched, compelling articles on habit formation, goal setting, clean living and simple parenting.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI just feel so trapped! We need the money.\u201d I was terrified. I had spent ten years being a lawyer, and many years before that striving to be exactly where I was. Well, maybe not striving to be crying in … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12272,"featured_media":49678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[5393,5971,66,1954,5536],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Succeed by Quitting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"But life has a way of pushing you back into that corner until you either go mad or change. 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