“Of all the stratagems, to know when to quit is best.”
– Chinese proverb
I love planning, and if I were a Disney villain you better believe I’d do all my planning in song, with a flourish of spectacular choreography and a heavy dose of vamping.
All that to say that sometimes (read: most times) what we plan for and what actually happens aren’t the same thing. When reality comes to a head with what we have in our, well, heads, we have a choice. We can struggle on, potentially lessening our enthusiasm AND taking time away could be better spent on another project. Or we can move on.
I love reading (obv), but I’ve always struggled to quit a book before its end. I don’t know why, maybe I think some library policeman will come for me if I don’t finish. I can’t even imagine the amount of time I would have had if I’d quit a few stinkers before I flipped the final page. I’m looking at you, American Pastoral.
I used to be this way with movies, too, but just last night I started watching one, and it wasn’t grabbing my attention so I turned it off. It felt great – and I wasn’t even worried that la llorona would come and attack me in the night.
Now, I’m not suggesting you give up on your hopes and dreams. The last few months of posts have been all about achieving hopes and dreams, and I truly believe you (yes, you!) can do anything you want.
You just can’t do everything you want.
Today’s prompt from Five Minutes in the Morning asks us to think about a project we’ve been slogging through. Ask yourself if your time would be better spent if you moved on.
Here’s what I wrote:
I think it’s the blog. I love writing, & I’ll never stop, but I’m not so sure that’s the best way for me to express myself any longer. Sometimes even journaling feels like a compulsion. I’ve often said I feel like I need to live more before I have more to write about. Right now, the only thing that matters is my spiritual journey, because that is The Only Thing that matters.
I’ve loved updating & I’ve loved being able to use 5 Minutes in the Morning, & I’m deeply grateful to my friends for getting it, but Being a Writer is no longer some golden shrine I’ve built for myself. It’s just something I do, & to describe the spiritual mystery with something that predates words seems inherently doomed to fail.
To whit, any attempt to describe It already limits What It Is.
I had every intention to shut this site down, but auto-renewal had other plans. Who knows what I’ll feel like when that comes around again, but I’m no longer spending my time on things that don’t bring me joy (which is really the joy of the Infinite).
I know I’ll never stop writing, but beyond this Sunday I don’t have any posts slated for publishing. I have a few nebulous ideas (maybe I’ll finish reviewing The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, maybe I’ll finish writing about the ego), but ideas will always float around in my mind, like clouds passing in front of the sun.
We’ll see if I decide to focus on any of those thought clouds long enough for any shapes to form.
What’s something you can quit today, dear reader, that will make space in your life for something more aligned with your goals and values? Share in the comments below.
And happy Friday!
One thought on “quitting”