"Enjoying life is far superior
to being graded on
your performance in life."
-- Wayne Dyer
As I read this quote above, I was pondering the idea of quitting. We start things and then at some point we quit them, or a softer way to say it--stop doing that thing. It seems like a natural progression much like being born and then dying. And sometimes, people make a big deal about stopping something, and may even experience a whole bunch of stress or anxiety over it.
I think the answer is in the quote above. I have come to a place in my life as I have mentioned many times where my only goal is simply and exquisitely to enjoy myself. As we are focusing on enjoying ourselves, enjoying our lives, that is what we seek and often, ceasing something would enhance that feeling.
We've been graded, judged, encouraged, caged by the idea of performance as a measure of well-being since we were born. Right, wrong, good, bad, A or F and pluses and minuses, just a very few grades and judgments we've been dealt with. We may have even accepted all of that because when we did good, got A's, we were probably rewarded in some way to encourage us to continue on that path.
Then, maybe we've lived a bit of life, a family of our own, careers, 401k's, planning for retirement, and much more, and all of those things come with grades and judgment too. Maybe we accepted all of that too using Ward and June Cleaver as a shining example of success.
Then, there may have been things that you started. A business, a club, a career, and it is full of problems and it wears on you. You wish it would be better, but it is showing no signs. You're tired. You want out. But it was all your idea. There are other people involved. The list goes on. You feel bad that it is not going well, you feel bad that you have not found a way to make it work better, you feel bad because other people may suffer in some way, you feel bad because your legacy would be tarnished. You just feel bad everywhere you look.
So, you quit. There is a bit of relief, but you feel guilty and sad and down. You wish it went faster and you can't wait until you get to the place where you can feel good again. You've found some really good reasons to quit and it seems that everyone understands. It's life, you know. Stuff happens. We have to deal with it, and life isn't always a bed of roses.
I know how this feels because I've experienced it much this way. I've started things and quit things. I've started businesses and quit them. I started a marriage and quit it. I've started hundreds of little things and quit them. I'm familiar with quitting and the associated negative emotions that seemed to come along with that.
That has changed. If we are to truly enjoy our lives, we need to understand that choice is our real power in life. If our focus is on feeling good, enjoying ourselves and enjoying our lives, then whatever we choose simply needs to be in alignment with our joy. Following your bliss is perfectly stated. When the bliss has turned into pain, it is time for a change. We need to love ourselves enough to make whatever changes will cause us to enjoy our lives more. If quitting will do that, then quitting is in order. No need for a long list of reasons. One reason is sufficient. We want to follow our bliss and our bliss has moved on. Thank you for the opportunity, I am moving on.
Enjoy Your Travels. Follow Your Own Bliss.
Spread Some Joy Today--by following your joy.
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