Random Thoughts - Should We Quit?

Should We Quit?

Life brings along many difficult situations. Sometimes, we can walk away and others, we have no choice but to face them and do something. The question - Should quitting be an option?

This brings me to the logical topic, for me, today - commitments and quitting with the emphasis on the latter. This is going to be free-flowing and most likely dig into my memories. As an example, going back and asking myself, when did you quit and finding more times than I like.

The first one was when I left a management training job for one of the local department stores. Through college, I worked part-time in a department store. Even as a minor player in this store, I rose to heights, I never expected. I was selected by one of the floor managers to work, when needed, in the personnel office (that is what it was called then). Instead of standing on my feet for hours, selling toys, I would be called and got to sit and help out with whatever was needed. I also was taken from the toy department to work on commission elsewhere. For example, back to school, selling children's shoes paid on a commission basis. All in all, I was successful and went into my next job, a full-time one, running the Christmas shop, in another department store.

I walked in with confidence until I met my manager. I am not sure if she did not like me or if I was super-sensitive or she was just a bad manager or I a bad worker. What I do know, is that I cried much too often for a grown up and ended up leaving this position after a short while because, I could not stand up to the pressure. Not a realistic way to handle this situation but I chose to do it. I quit.

I know it was the wrong decision because I never felt right about it. Even looking back now, I get a little twinge of regret.  There is the side that says, I was miserable and no one should be in such a position and then there is the side that says I avoided facing it and standing up to her.  It is much too late to agonize over this one.

The global question is how do we determine what is the right path to take.  The word, "quitter" has negative connotations but I am sure, there are times, that walking away is right.  If another person is going to get hurt, it would take a long time before I would even considering quitting.  That brings me to the answer - what is lost and what is gained and that is a personal decision.  May we find the moral path in our lives and chose wisely.