Coffee Talk #156 It’s OK to Quit

Gather ’round! ‘Tis Tuesday, a day to rejoice, grab a cup of coffee, and chat.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that I’m so glad to have finished “Hustle-tober.” I definitely bring it on myself, but man was October crazy! I’m deep into month 2 of Yoga Teacher Training, I hosted a daily Commit to Fit workout series (showing up at 6:15 a.m. M-F to teach classes), I had MBRT presentations and trips to promote and plan, and of course teaching my regular weekly fitness classes. October rolled in here and hit hard.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that YTT (yoga teacher training) is going so well. I didn’t fully grasp the depths we’d reach or the bonds we’d create with our fellow group. I look forward to our time together! Yoga is a work in, which I’ve learned from the “work out” part of it. I initially discovered yoga as a way to stretch my running muscles, while training for a half marathon. I went to it initially for the stretching, for the injury prevention (knock on wood, I’ve been injury-free after a long running, work out, and fitness class career). I’ve stayed for the confidence and community. I’m so glad I chose the program that I did – my master trainer is amazing and knowledgeable and I really enjoy learning from her. I had the opportunity this past weekend to watch assists, and I enjoyed learning those techniques. Each week, I’m more excited about teaching and sharing this practice with clients.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that one of my major a-ha moments from YTT caused me to quit a job/client. The word “hiding” kept coming up in my journaling, visualization, and even when running through a technique with a fellow YTT peer. HIDING. Why? I didn’t understand it completely until I sat down and mapped out all of the things I do. I really got confused at the word “hiding” because I’m pretty open, especially here and on my social sites. Then it occurred to me. I hide behind projects. Instead of highlighting and promoting my services and offerings, I’m promoting others. The realization happened while I ran after my class to take photos of another instructor, so he could use it for social media. I always put myself and my fitness business last when it comes to promotion. That might sound funny, but I really don’t promote as much as I can and know how to do so. My knowledge and skill set is vast, and I give a lot of energy to other people’s projects. I guess I figured since I’m skilled and talented at this, that I should make money and do it for other people. But it doesn’t make me happy. It makes me frustrated.

So, I quit a job. I know! Me! This might not be too shocking to some, since they know I walked out on my full-time job of 10 years (I mean, I gave 3 weeks of notice, but I still walked away). THAT was scary. It’s scary to voluntarily lose income. It’s scary to look at your life and your work and want to make big changes. But, there’s a nagging question of “Well, what if I quit? What happens then?” I’ll tell you. You move on. You find something else to do. I’ve had no trouble filling my time with meaningful work since quitting a full-time job. I’ll share that story another day!

I’ll tell you something else – it’s OK to quit. It’s OK to walk away. From friends, from family, from jobs… I’m not saying it’s ok to just throw out responsibilities, but it’s ok to shed layers, to put yourself first, to walk away from situations that just don’t sit right for you. Some people might not understand your actions. Those are not your people.

The best thing about this time around was that my supervisor was like “ok. That sounds right for you. You’ll be missed, but you need to be happy.” How cool is that? I debated doing it for awhile. I was nervous. I was scared. But the outcome was better than I could’ve imagined. It will be okay!

I’m here to tell you it’s ok to quit sometimes. You don’t have to be everything for everyone. You don’t have to keep doing a job or a project just because you’re good at it. If it doesn’t please you, I’ll bet there’s a bigger and better job or project just waiting for you to take it. And you won’t know until you make that leap.

I credit YTT for helping me realize this possibility, but I also credit myself for having the courage to take action. I’m really excited to focus on myself and my thriving fitness business. I’m excited to put new energy behind MY projects and watch them thrive. I’m so in for this journey.