Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Lyra's avatar

I love the 100-age pages rule -- I'm making a note. My stepmother said something to me years ago that I didn't appreciate until much later (mostly because I thought it was backhanded); she complimented me on being able to quit. This was back when I was in my 20s and never lasting more than a year at any job because I'd always wind up bored out of my mind. But when I finally mustered the courage to walk away from my first marriage, she reiterated the sentiment, and I realized that she'd been sincere. Walking away was the hardest thing I had ever done up to that point, and I should have done it sooner, but I'm still grateful every single day that I managed to do it at all. Like your mom knew -- you have to make space in your life for the actual good stuff. If you're spending too much energy on pursuits or relationships that wear you down, it's impossible to find time for those that delight you. Why pay twice indeed!

Expand full comment
flipshod's avatar

I like that you linked to the poker player because I had Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" running through my head as I read this. "You gotta know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away. Know when to run."

Myself, I quit professions. Teaching English, accounting, and the law. Each time right when things were going well, when I was on "top of my game". It often doesn't look good in others' eyes. People assume something must have gone wrong. "Why would you walk (run?) away from a good thing?" For me it's always felt natural. Quitting from boredom I guess?

Expand full comment
11 more comments...

No posts