... on Knowing When to Change Goals
Let's entertain the thought that everyone who quits trying may not necessarily be a "quitter." Now I know what your thinking, but humor me, just this once.
I am sure this sounds like I am contradicting what I have written in past columns, but not really. To me, giving up when things are not going your way is quitting. On the other hand, giving up because of changing values, attitudes, and interests is a different is a different type of animal altogether.
Consider the following situations. A junior high athlete who was an excellent baseball player suddenly decides to give up the sport for track in high school. A high school student who was a fine wrestler went to college and did not further advance his grappling skills.
Likewise, a college All-American in football rejects the possibility of "Pro Ball" to pursue a career in medicine. And finally, a successful lawyer of 20 years decides to make a complete change to accounting. Are these individuals quitters in life? I think not.
As people grow, their lives change, and what was once very important to them is later not so important. For you see, once a person loses the motivation to do something, it is a waste of time for him to continue one with it because he won't get any better. In fact, he will probably get worse.
If this happens to you in any athletic or lifelong endeavor, you must be true to yourself, and to the ones who are counting on you. Let them know the fire's gone, and get on with your life, creating new goals and challenges for yourself.
In truth, the real quitters in life are those who are afraid to take chances, afraid to fail or succeed, and afraid to continue on when faced with obstacles. As long as you set realistic goals and make every effort to achieve them, you have nothing to be ashamed of if you don't obtain such goals.
So go forward to your new ambitions in life, strive to achieve them, and you will never be called a quitter!