Did you know that even simple goals often change us in ways we don’t see coming? It’s true! Hitting your goal regularly of drinking more water will keep you hydrated, yes, but it might also have effects you didn’t expect like clearing up your skin or making it hard to sit through history class without using the restroom! The moral is that we can’t always see all the ways a goal will change us.

Think about it though. The things that have been the biggest blessing, reaped the most benefits, or taught you the most have also been things that took a long time. That friend you’ve had for 3 years now?

History is full of people who tried something, found it didn’t work, and then went on to find success and meaningful work in a totally different field (Ruggeri, 2017).

Here’s a few signs that it may be time for you to consider quitting something (Pinola, 2012).

Self forgiveness: “I shouldn’t have lied to Mrs. Starinsky about that assignment. Everyone makes wrong choices sometimes, and I’ve been so afraid that I’ll fail this class but that doesn’t make what I did okay. I’m not going to do it again.” 

Everyone is a leader in some capacity because we have influence (even if only a little) over other people. And it's a bit sobering to think that your influence in another person's life can impact their growth and success as a person. In other words, people's lives can be better because of you. 

Despite my complete inability to play, I really enjoyed learning, and it became one of my all-time favorite hobbies. But playing (kind of) guitar was something I fell into for all the wrong reasons. So how do you choose a hobby that is perfect for you? 

I didn’t have good managers in a few of these jobs. This instilled a hesitancy or fear to go to my supervisors in future jobs when I needed something. I am fearful of having another bad manager now. One of my jobs was so stressful that I dreaded going to work every day.

Do you really want to be the kind of person who thinks they have it all figured out, the person who has no weakness, who thinks they are perfect? Do you really want to be the arrogant one in the room? Admitting weakness is not weak; it's humble. And it's absolutely required if you're going to truly succeed. 

We want the glory without the work. We want the result without the pain. I know that might sting a little, and you may even disagree with me. But think for a moment. When was the last time you were experiencing a trial and thought to yourself, “Man, this is amazing; I can’t wait to see how much I grow as a result of this!”

The lesson was difficult. There are many circumstances in life that we can and should change. But sometimes, as much as we want a different outcome, what we have is what we get. It may be a diagnosis, a loss, a death, or some other circumstance that cannot be altered. At that point, life is what we make of it. And what do we make?