When It's Okay To Stop

You hardly go on or through social media without finding some sort of motivational videos, quotes and posts. They emphasise the need to keep pushing on, never give up, don't give in to that fear, nothing is impossible, and more. To an extent, these are helpful. A friend told me some time back how motivational videos have helped him in some areas of life. Some people thrive on these motivations, for perseverance and endurance, ultimately to success.

While these motivations are good and helpful, do we consider when to stop? Like, even when a thing isn't giving the desired result, do we keep on and not “give up” as several motivations suggest? Do we keep trying that thing because we have it in us and we can achieve what we set our minds on? You're right if you see this post as a need to reevaluate, or maybe, how we conceive and put them to use. Though not mentioned, the speakers or writers may not mean it to that point.

This is actually a consideration of when to stop, and how it's okay to stop sometimes. It doesn't mean one is giving up or not enduring enough for their goal or achievements, though some people can be all of that. The issue with speaking or writing on these kinds of subjects is to be careful to avoid promoting complacency and a lack of perseverance in the bid to address the other matter. While we should know when to put a stop to some things, we should never be the ones who just want to stop, with minimal effort expended or for no good enough reason. Yes, we humans can be like that.

When should a person learn to stop? When it doesn't yield results and it doesn't look hopeful for that, especially after a lot of time is expended. But that isn't just it. I'll say when through research or due considerations they see that there's not much of a prospect, then they should move to or try something else. Putting other options, especially when that something is a business or venture is helpful. Sometimes, saying no isn't weakness or giving up, it could mean doing what's necessary.

We can't dispute the fact that many stayed on a thing which ended up yielding beneficial results. The question is, why did they stay on it? Was it conviction? Did they see prospects? I think these and more are the things to consider. There's a reality in considering a matter and knowing what to do rather than following a supposed pattern or statement. When a thing doesn't work, we should be able to look objectively, make considerations and projections and know if to continue or not.

Certainly, this isn't something talked about enough. There could be a need to talk about “stopping” as well as “keeping on.” When something doesn't align with our interests, keeping up can be hard. That's where backing down can be helpful. Putting a healthy stop to a thing can be helpful and rewarding. When it's necessary, then it's healthy. If one's convictions and projections tell them to continue, that's fine. If not, it will be good to be able to know when to stop.

Images are mine.

Thank you for reading through!