Failure Friday Rule #1: Quit

Over at HowtoSelfDestruct.com, I’ve got a head-to-head match up of two of the biggest quitters in politics today, Sarah Palin and Mark Sanford.

Mark went AWOL on his state and family to go do what whatever it is you do when you think you’re living Bridges of Madison County: South America Edition. Sarah up and quit because I guess she found herself a Yukon Territory and governorship away from dinner with her donor base. Whatever their reasons, both of them abandoned their posts by physically removing themselves.

Yet physical distance is just one of many ways to opt out.

I’m sitting here watching Rocky III right now, listening to Burgess Meredith delivering a great line to Rocky about why Clubber Lang would maul him in the ring: “You got civilized.” Carl Weathers will say it better a few scenes from now, breaking that comment down, saying Rocky’s lost his edge and no longer has that sharpness he once had. You know, that eye. (I’m not going to say it.)

Rocky—in this installment—is representative of too many of us in life, coasting by on natural talent but not putting in the effort to really make the most of what we’ve got. As a result, Rocky fails when put to the test; Clubber clobbers him. (Haven’t seen the movie? Comcast has it on demand free this month. Channel 1 on the idiot box.)

How many of us fail, too, for the same reason—because we’ve quit on ourselves? Have you mentally opted out? Do you duck the real challenges?

• Do you blame others for your current failures?
• Do you talk yourself out of reaching for that next step out of self-doubt?
• Are you telling yourself you want to win while holding on to a lifestyle that makes you soft?
• Are you trying so hard you’ve forgotten how to win?
• Do you sit on the sidelines, claiming you can’t possibly win without more money/more staff/more technology/more respect?
• Do you cry about what’s owed to you? Do you claim to have already earned your due?
• Do you criticize others without putting forth your own effort?
• Do you have all of the answers but none of the drive?

These are the signs of a quitter’s mentality.

Now here’s the really bad news: this mentality is in all of us. For many of us, it’s our default state. But even for the rest of us, it’s present, and it must be managed.

You don’t beat the quitter’s mentality by pretending it doesn’t exist, though focus is a big part of overcoming it. You don’t beat it by merely working harder, though hard work is also a big part of the solution. Changing your surroundings definitely won’t solve your issue, though managing your environment is definitely is part of the solution.

To win, move your body and your mind. Pick any goal—something small and stupid, even—and do it. Get it done. Do it again. And again. And again. Refine your goals. Build on them, expand them, make them more meaningful. Go get the respect and money and resources you need, not by forcing them, but by asking for them and by putting yourself out there so others can see what you’d do with them.

A life of abundance begins with abundant action. Action is the antithesis of quitting. Action is the Energizer bunny.

Want to win? Take action.

Enjoy this blog? Listen to my new podcast, Beyond Social. It'll help you use social media to improve the way you work and live.

Tagged as: How to Self-Destruct, quit