It can be hard to tell when a losing battle should be put to rest. There are times in all of our lives when things seem to go another direction, different from what we want. I feel as if I have been fortunate enough to avoid these situations lately, but they seem to lurk around waiting to get us to commit to them.

Some different times of life that come to mind might be college, medical school, jobs, and friendships. All of these things require dedication and persistence. There may come a time in any of these situation where we may choose to take a loss and get out while we can. It’s not a fun time by any means, but there are situations where it is necessary.

So, how can we tell when it is time to quit? This is not an easy question to answer. I don’t think that there is a definite answer either. Our current situation is important when considering leaving and cutting ties. I have found a similarity between most decisions that I choose to end. The main commonality is a “dead end” that lies ahead. If we have a dead end that doesn’t allow advancement, it may be time to leave. That doesn’t mean that when college is hard we quit, but we need to make sure that we see further ahead than the moment we are experiencing. Medical school has been difficult for my wife, but she has so much more in store for her after she graduates. If we have friends that never consider our interests we can feel like ending relationships.

You have to be the one to justify the situation when quitting. This is extremely important as we can’t go back to the way things were before most of the time.

A Recent Hard Decision Made

Almost 2 years ago I made the decision to leave my job and move on to a better opportunity. I was working at a decent job, but my time there had come to an end. I was hired to set up the facility and as it came to a close I began to search for my next challenge.

Leaving my previous role wasn’t super easy for me. One of the main reasons that I didn’t want to leave was because I worked with my dad. To partake in medical school we moved to Toledo (almost 2 hours from home). The distance from our families has made it more difficult to see them. We get to see them fairly regularly, but seeing my dad on weekdays was a lot of fun.

Another reason I didn’t want to leave was because I enjoyed my job. This was my first job out of college which also made it important to me. This was the first time I was part of a company and had a lot of fun but when the time came I left for a better opportunity.

Leaving was hard for me, but my new job has been 100 times better for me and my career. I have more responsibilities which brings some more stress, but also more joy. I tend to have more interest and pride in what I am doing as well.

I work longer hours at my new job, but I make more money. We have been able to do more when it comes to funding medical school now than before. I have also been able to better fund retirement, loan payments, and hobbies.

I left all my work friends, but I have made new. I work with some great people and would not have met them if I didn’t leave my previous job.

I worked in a good environment, but now it is even better. The people that run the company I work at aren’t perfect. That being said, they work hard to keep it all running. The main reason we are there is to make money and they do their best to make that happen.

My Final Thought

Life is hard. Making decisions is hard. We (collectively) are not very good at making decisions. I urge you to look ahead down the road and make the best decisions possible. It’s not easy but it will take you for an interesting ride.