When to Know How to Quit
I still remember writing my first blog post at a café in Boston, wondering if this new role I’m in would truly be the right fit. Honestly, I love my job. I’m grateful every day for the people I work with, the projects I get to own, and the ways I’m stretched to grow. But in reflecting on how I got here, I’ve realized something important about knowing when to quit.
Five months into my new role, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means to know when to quit. I used to think quitting meant giving up, but it’s not that simple. It’s not the impulsive kind of decision that happens overnight. It’s the quiet kind, the one that sits in your chest long before your mind catches up. It’s the uncomfortable awareness that something that once fit perfectly doesn’t anymore, and that’s okay.
What I’ve learned is that quitting isn’t about walking away from something bad. It’s about having the courage to listen when growth starts calling you somewhere new. It’s about getting back up even when things don’t go your way, staying tenacious in the face of change, and being brave enough to wonder “what if” instead of settling for “what is.”
When I decided to leave my previous company, it wasn’t because I stopped caring. I had poured so much of myself into that work, my creativity, my strategy, my heart. But over time, I started to change. The version of me who started there had learned everything she needed to. The challenges that once pushed me began to feel predictable, and the kind of impact I wanted to make was growing faster than the environment around me. There was this quiet pull I couldn’t ignore, telling me it was time to build somewhere new.
Looking back, quitting wasn’t an ending, it was an act of trust. The most meaningful growth often happens in those in-between seasons, the space between who you were and who you’re becoming next. It’s knowing that you’ve given something your best and still choosing to move forward when it no longer challenges or fulfills you. Growth rarely feels comfortable, but it always leads you somewhere that matters.
So if you’re standing at that same crossroads, I hope you remember this: quitting isn’t about walking away. It’s about giving yourself permission to keep moving forward.