Last month, I attended the kickoff call for a 4-week program with cyclical strategist, Cait. Before nailing down the project we wanted to focus on, she invited us to write down our fears. 

Many of my fears had to do with failure and being perceived negatively. One fear in particular hit hard… 

“I’m scared of looking like a flake, or like I’m all over the place.”

“Scared of launching something I end up hating, or worse — something no one is interested in.”

That same day, I saw a post that lit my ass up in the best way possible.

ohsierracreative

A post shared by @ohsierracreative

My parents did raise a quitter. I quit piano, dance, tennis, chorus, basketball, violin, cheerleading, clarinet, and countless clubs…

I was a competitive swimmer for six years and then quit right before my last year of high school. 

I’ve quit jobs before having other options lined up first. 

I used to feel bad about my high quit rate. I’d joke with my parents about how good of a (dancer, musician, Olympian, etc.) I’d be had they not let me quit. 

But what would be the point? To teach me that I should be obligated to something that isn’t aligned anymore just because I was curious enough to give it a shot in the first place? 

Millennials like myself are often ridiculed for “career hopping,” disregarding the unspoken rule of staying put in a job you hate for at least 2-3 years so your resume doesn’t look bad. Truthfully, Type C will be the longest I’ve been at one company come August when I celebrate three years of running my business. 

I have a lot of interests and am sensitive enough to know when things are no longer aligned with what I want. And old enough to know getting everything I want isn’t realistic.

Sometimes it’s the stereotypical ADHD “I’m bored with this less-than-shiny, no longer new toy” mentality. But as the stakes for quitting things get higher, the less I worry about whether or not I’m quitting for the “right reasons.” 

There are things in work and life that will feel like they’re worth staying for, even when they’re hard or less exciting than when you first started. I now trust myself enough to make that call. 

Frankly, life is too damn short to be consistent but miserable. Many times, I’ve found that giving myself permission to quit often leads to even more opportunity and alignment down the road.

💭 More Thoughts on Quitting and “Inconsistency”

I write about this topic a lot but in different ways. I guess I truly am consistently inconsistent, as I highlighted in this post from last year:

Consistently inconsistent... - by Andrea Reeves

Pssst... you're allowed to change your mind.

I wrote about it last month when I decided to discontinue my monthly Prioritization Sessions:

No More Monthly Prioritization Sessions - by Andrea Reeves

👋👋👋

And also two years ago when I decided to stop posting on Instagram:

I wouldn't be surprised if we never saw Type C Creative again...

Why I switched to a 9-grid Instagram feed.

In conclusion… You’re allowed to change your mind. You’re allowed to change direction. You’re allowed to make different decisions based on new information or circumstances (or if you just simply lose interest).

It doesn’t make you a flake, or irresponsible. It makes you human.

Peace, love and quitting the damn thing,

Andrea