Yes, you read that right; and I’ll say it again. I. Quit.

We live in a society that encourages us to “never give up,” and “keep going, no matter what.” If you were to Google inspirational quotes, it most likely won’t take long before you find something along the lines of, “There is no failure except in no longer trying,” or “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” Don’t get me wrong, all of that is great when you are working towards the right goals, but this mentality can be disadvantageous when you are in misalignment.

I was recently at a place where my commitments had gotten the best of me. I was always frantically running from place to place, and constantly in a rush to get somewhere. I started to feel as though I was running on a hamster wheel with goals that looked more and more out of reach with each passing day. When I got to a breaking point, I had to step back and evaluate the “why” behind all of my commitments. After doing some soul searching, I realized that I didn’t want (or need) to have such a busy schedule. I decided that I would quit everything. By this, I mean that I decided that I would rid my entire calendar of every time commitment, including my job, law school, clubs, and organizations. After I was able to clear my plate, I began to add on the essentials. The two commitments that I started with are work and school. I needed my job, because, well I think that’s obvious. I need school because I plan on practicing law in the future. I, then, replaced my prior commitments with activities that I enjoy–i.e., writing and creating content. I upset a few people when I made this decision, but I needed to put my well-being first.

Although I think that you should never give up on your dreams, I encourage you to quit whatever is throwing you into misalignment. I know it made my load lighter, and my goals seem a lot more clear. I have no regrets.