The quotes and mantras about quitting are endless. A specific one that stays in my mind goes

However, where is the line drawn between quitting and leaving a bad situation? There are endless quotes about moving on in life equal to those ridiculing quitters. A specific one reads,

”.

People experience situations through different perspectives, and to one person “quitting” may be “moving on” to another. There are clearly times when quitting is perceived as a positive. For example, between the years 2005 and 2014, adult cigarette smoking decreased from 20.9% to 16.8%, according to a CDC Fact Sheet. This means an average of five people had quit smoking in 2014 compared to 2005. Similarly, a 2012 study by Time Magazine stated that 10%, “or 23.5 million Americans” quit their problem usage of drugs or alcohol. Naturally, these “quitters” are met with praise and are applauded for their strength.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, college dropouts are often portrayed as lazy and unmotivated. According to cloudatlas.org, 3 out of 10 undergrad students leave after their first year. When it comes to student athletes, a 2011 article by The Brown Daily Herald plainly states in the title that “nearly one-third of all athletes end up quitting”. Determining whether or not most of the statistics demonstrate quitters, or people making a decision to leave a bad situation is opinionated and will vary from situation to situation.

Moving on and quitting are very different. When deciding to quit school, a team, a relationship, etc, certain criteria must be met. To begin with, identify what the problem is and focus on what you can do to better the situation. Many problems can be solved if only one person involved in the conflict shows maturity and looks inward before placing blame. Next, view the situation from a perspective that isn’t your own. Some people will have personalities and experiences that they cannot change so adapting and understanding is the only option. If a conflict still remains, have a conversation and discuss things that both people can change. The meeting is intended to specify behaviors that are the crux of the conflict and begin to fix them. If one conversation is not enough then repeat two more times. Sometimes an issue cannot be solved after a single conversation.

Sometimes no matter how much effort you put into turning a negative situation into a positive, it will not be enough. When dealing with people it takes an equal and willing effort on all sides to resolve the issue. No matter what the situation, a person’s essence cannot be changed and there are some aspects of a person that you either accept or separate yourself from them. When thinking about the difference between quitting and moving on, I follow a certain mantra,

Consulted Sources

http://www.browndailyherald.com/2011/11/16/nearly-onethird-of-all-athletes-end-up-quitting/

http://www.collegeatlas.org/college-dropout.html

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/

http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/07/quitting-drugs-or-alcohol-10-of-the-u-s-population-has-done-it/