“I quit.”

One Thursday, Bob Goff walked into his successful law firm—the one he founded—tossed the keys onto the conference table, smiled and said those two words: “I quit.”

Quitting gave him the freedom to pursue what he really wanted to do as he got older; help to change the world as a social entrepreneur. Now he’s also a successful author, speaker, and motivator to people like me. Because he quit.

The Habit of Quitting

Every Thursday, he quits something in his life. Because he is a very sought-after person, that often means quitting some kind of social commitment, like a board or a speaking engagement.

Now, I am a man, far, far less in demand than he is. But, I’m finding that I can quit things too, and it’s been a great way to get closer to the life Heidi & I want to live.

Quitting Frees You

My wife and I are big proponents of minimalism; basically, living as simply as we can. The less clutter we have in our life and our minds, the more simply we can live, the more peace we have, and the better life is to live. I don’t have to tell you how cluttered our lives can become, right? You know the toll it takes on your peace of mind. I used to have this low-level stress at all times. What do I have to do now? What am I supposed to be doing next? Quitting is empowering, and it turns that annoying volume way down. As you know, we only have 24 hours each day. What are you doing with those hours? Are you the boss of them? Or are your commitments stealing hours—your very life?

Three Ways to be a Quitter

Quit a commitment. Maybe, like Mr. Goff, you are part of a board, or a committee, or some kind of knitting, beer-drinking or church group (or even a knitting, beer-drinking church group…wouldn’t that be a hoot?) Whatever it is, it takes up a lot of your time. Are you seeing a positive payback for that time investment? If not, quit that thing and buy back some precious time.
Quit a digital commitment. Is your Inbox cluttered with messages from websites and newsletters and YouTube darlings that you no longer care about? Do you follow someone or some group, and every time you get a notification, you feel obligated to stop and check in with their awesome lives? It takes your priceless time, you know. Once a week…unsubscribe! It’s an awesome feeling.
Quit some thing. All of us in America struggle with stuff. It can take over our lives. You owe it to yourself to experience the joy of removing a thing from your house and your life. It’ll free up space not only in your house, but in your mind. More brainpower to dream and to do!

Pick your day to Quit

Bob Goff has a “quitting Thursday” in his schedule. Mine is Wednesday, because it’s the day before trash day. It gives me a chance to find some thing to get out of my house. First, I might try to sell it (actually, my awesome son Nik does it for me for a percentage) or I’ll give it to Goodwill. But if I can’t give it away or sell it, I need to throw it away. And it feels really good, once every week, to know I am removing some thing from my house. More space, more freedom.

Make a Space

Everything in our lives takes up space: social space, mental space, physical space. Quitting physical commitments, digital commitments, or things, helps us clear out space in our lives to get closer to the good life of simplicity and peace that we all want. But you need to make it part of your schedule!

Be a Quitter! You’ll be surprised at how good it feels.

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