Think carefully before you quit

Victoria Seiketso Sethibe | Thursday January 12, 2017 17:10

Even though it is common knowledge that change is inevitable, readiness for change is not necessarily a common thing. One of the ways that people respond to unpleasant surprises, be it at work, at school or at home is by quitting from that environment.

A simple definition of quitting by Cambridge online dictionary is to stop doing something, to leave a job or a place. It basically is a deliberate move to detach.

While some people might benefit from quitting from the environment, that does not add much value to their lives. It is also important to note that it is not always a viable decision for everyone. Below are some scenarios that explain some of the things that drive people to quit activities they have been doing in order to improve their lives:

 

Case 1

Peter*  is a 29-year-old man who has been working in the same company for nine years without any promotion, despite his hard work and long working hours. It recently dawned on him how stuck he was when a much younger person who was given on-the-job training by him, got promoted to being his supervisor, based on her being the daughter to the owner of the company, as well as a shareholder in the family business. Suddenly realising just how closed his chances of advancement at work were, Peter* decided to carefully plan how he was going to use his savings to start a new chapter in his life, before finally making up his mind that quitting was the best option for him.

What made Peter’s decision to quit, a viable one, is that his savings, experience and research all added value in surviving transition from formal work.

 

Case 2

Mariam* is a 27-year-old post-graduate student who wants to quit her academic programme. She blames the pressure from her academic assignments for disrupting her from regularly watching her favourite television soapies. She also argues that graduating from her programme will not guarantee her promotion at work.

What Mariam is missing is that even though completing her post-graduation programme might not immediately give her an opportunity to be promoted at work, it will add value to her curriculum vitae. She will surely be able to apply herself better at work, unlike the television soapies she is so obsessed about.

 

Case 3

Thato*, a 23-year-old woman, suddenly decided to quit going to the gym despite the doctor’s confirmation that it was safe for her to enroll in some weekly aerobics classes. Her main reason for quitting was that her friends did not support the idea of joining her at the gym, on account that they saw no reason to do so. Thato,  being driven by group mentality, missed the fact that her wellbeing is nobody’s responsibility but her own, and that she needed to make a conscious effort in upgrading her intrinsic motivation.

From the above three case scenarios, it can be concluded that quitting is not necessarily always a bad thing, provided a comprehensive contingency plan has been put in place.

“Our motto is and our motto shall be, always be prepared girl guides!” is a childhood song that just shows that being open for change is an attitude needed by all, irrespective of age. What matters the most is the direction one takes when, and not if, change comes.