When Should You Quit?
I started the hardest jigsaw puzzle in the world last June. It was going to be my friend and companion while our son was away training in the military. It was going to be my little 9-week project I would show off when he returned home. Last summer I did "Cheeses of the World" and was able to find all 247 different shades of yellow just fine, so my ego was ready for "Starry Night". With my art background and keen eye, this would be a fun challenge. Like doing a hard Sudoko.
Not only did I not complete the puzzle on time, it's not even going to be done by Christmas. Each piece can fit in several places perfectly and you don't know you had it in the wrong place til you work about 27 other pieces in the same area. Then you don't just pull out the one piece that started it all wrong, you end up having to pull out another handful. There were nights when I could not even place one piece and nights where all I did was discover how many boo-boos there were. This one step forward, nine steps backwards exercise went on regularly until a month ago.
This isn't my "Summer Puzzle" and it's not even going to be my "Christmas Puzzle" because I give up. The frustration is no longer fun, the length of time it was taking is no longer funny. The puzzle is incomplete and I've gone as far as I am going to go. I'm licked. I give up. And you know what? I'm fine with that. I did my best for a very long time and then my ADD kicked in. I am going to box it up and offer it to a fellow jigsaw lover. If they don't want it, then I will just burn it.
No I'm not angry or even frustrated, I'm just done. Sometimes we hang in too long and this puzzle is long overdue to stop occupying a corner in the living room. I'm not against puzzles - there's a nice Norman Rockwell one I found in the garage. I'm just over this one.
Sometimes I think we stay in a place or a relationship (I'm not talking about marraige today) longer than we should. Just like my Summer Puzzle. I needed to call it quits a month (or more) ago. A couple of times I have stayed in a job longer than I should have because I kept wanting to be sure I was doing everything possible to fit in. Sometimes I have given organizations (and even people) seven second-chances to be certain that what I saw was really what I saw. Rather than pounce to a conclusion, I have continued to extend myself when I have noticed the hint of a red flag. Time after time, I have come to see that the time of the whisper that where I am is not a good fit is what I needed to take action on much earlier.
I am not talkinng about lack of qualifications or talent, or even poor performance. I am talking about the times when you absolutely have done your best and it is just not the right fit. Not the job, the hobby, the friend or the time. If you have been sincere and the other party is untrustworhy,
uncaring or manipulative don't stick around in order "to do the right thing". Sometimes the right thing
to do is to step aside. Without fanfare or wild emotion.
Accept the reality that you might have made a mistake in judgement in the first place, or that something has just run its course. It is okay to move on. Take what nuggets you learned about yourself, appreciate what you can and go forward.
Not only did I not complete the puzzle on time, it's not even going to be done by Christmas. Each piece can fit in several places perfectly and you don't know you had it in the wrong place til you work about 27 other pieces in the same area. Then you don't just pull out the one piece that started it all wrong, you end up having to pull out another handful. There were nights when I could not even place one piece and nights where all I did was discover how many boo-boos there were. This one step forward, nine steps backwards exercise went on regularly until a month ago.
This isn't my "Summer Puzzle" and it's not even going to be my "Christmas Puzzle" because I give up. The frustration is no longer fun, the length of time it was taking is no longer funny. The puzzle is incomplete and I've gone as far as I am going to go. I'm licked. I give up. And you know what? I'm fine with that. I did my best for a very long time and then my ADD kicked in. I am going to box it up and offer it to a fellow jigsaw lover. If they don't want it, then I will just burn it.
No I'm not angry or even frustrated, I'm just done. Sometimes we hang in too long and this puzzle is long overdue to stop occupying a corner in the living room. I'm not against puzzles - there's a nice Norman Rockwell one I found in the garage. I'm just over this one.
Sometimes I think we stay in a place or a relationship (I'm not talking about marraige today) longer than we should. Just like my Summer Puzzle. I needed to call it quits a month (or more) ago. A couple of times I have stayed in a job longer than I should have because I kept wanting to be sure I was doing everything possible to fit in. Sometimes I have given organizations (and even people) seven second-chances to be certain that what I saw was really what I saw. Rather than pounce to a conclusion, I have continued to extend myself when I have noticed the hint of a red flag. Time after time, I have come to see that the time of the whisper that where I am is not a good fit is what I needed to take action on much earlier.
I am not talkinng about lack of qualifications or talent, or even poor performance. I am talking about the times when you absolutely have done your best and it is just not the right fit. Not the job, the hobby, the friend or the time. If you have been sincere and the other party is untrustworhy,
uncaring or manipulative don't stick around in order "to do the right thing". Sometimes the right thing
to do is to step aside. Without fanfare or wild emotion.
Accept the reality that you might have made a mistake in judgement in the first place, or that something has just run its course. It is okay to move on. Take what nuggets you learned about yourself, appreciate what you can and go forward.
Comments
Post a Comment