The Secret to Winning: Knowing When to Quit

The Secret to Winning: Knowing When to Quit

The old adage “quitters never win” is a comforting lie, and it’s time we banished it. I used to believe it too, but I’ve learned that in reality, it’s impossible to be a winner if you don’t know when—or how—to quit.

For me, the realization hit with a terrifying moment of some sort of spatial disorientation that was a direct result of career burnout.

I was flying out of Lagos, Nigeria, one Friday afternoon, bound for Kaduna. As the plane taxied for takeoff, the flight attendant announced our destination. An immediate, cold panic washed over me. “I’m on the wrong flight!” I tried to shout, straining to get the attendant’s attention and explaining my frantic error to my baffled co-passengers.

It took several minutes for my flight-fatigued brain to unscramble. Having flown into about four airports in five days, my mind was operating on a dangerous auto-pilot. I had grown so used to flying Lagos-to-Abuja on Fridays that, for a moment, I completely forgot I was heading to a meeting in Kaduna. I should have been going home to Abuja, and my brain simply refused to process the deviation.

Temporary insanity? Maybe. I was dreadfully embarrassed when the error dawned on me, and I could only thank God it wasn’t an international flight—I might have been dropped off on a remote island for disrupting the flight under terrorism protocols!

That moment was my sign. My lifestyle was physically and mentally unsustainable. When your mind forgets where you are going, it’s a profound signal that your journey is heading nowhere good.

Stop the Cycle, Start Winning

Don’t let a misguided belief in perseverance keep you stuck. Winning isn’t about stubbornness; it’s about strategic retreat.

• If you are on a journey that is headed nowhere, QUIT!

• If you are stuck in a self-defeating circle or destructive behavior, QUIT!

• If your current lifestyle is taking more out of you than it is giving you, QUIT, QUIT, QUIT!!

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US: When did you realize it was time to quit something important, and how did it change your life? Tell us your story for a chance to WIN $$$!