“There is no cookie-cutter way to do anything. Whatever road you choose is the right road.” – Diane Forster (6:00)
Diane Forster
I Have Today
Stop carrying the guilt from an unhealthy situation that you quit. It’s time to forgive yourself.
The word “quit” has a dark cloud around it. The connotation is failure, cowardice, and general shame because you gave something up too soon. Too many of us still carry things with us that we regret quitting, no matter how long ago it happened.
It’s time to let that go, whether it was a job, a relationship, or a childhood sport. Focusing on our failures often cripples us, as we imagine that the thing we never achieved would have been the magic key to our success.
Your path is your own. Trust that what you chose was the right option for you, and resist comparing your achievements – and the perceived lack thereof – to the lives around you. They’re moving along their paths too.
“If something is not resonating with you, it is okay to just quit. Walk away. Our time is precious.” – Diane Forster (7:35)
That said, it’s not always the memory of quitting that holds us back. Many of us are afraid to do so right now. You may be in a job or a relationship that you know is not right for you, that just leaves you frustrated and unfulfilled. If you have put the time and effort into making your circumstances work, and it’s still clearly not working, allow yourself to walk away. Your time is precious, and it is not to be wasted.
After you’ve walked away, forgive yourself. It is so tempting to feel guilty for “giving up.” You have to forgive the person you were when you experienced that moment, and then continually forgive yourself as you move forward.
There are 3 vital steps to forgiving yourself:
- Make a timeline. Write down the timeline of important moments in your life, negative and positive. When you’re finished, step back and look at the way the positive experiences outweigh the negative ones. This is such an important exercise because it also shows you, in black and white, all the beautiful things that came about because of the painful things, and the losses, and the failures.
- Write down the moment of quitting that follows you. You know that moment that plays over and over in your head? Get it down on paper, and then write a list of no fewer than 10 reasons why the decision you made was the right one. Go deep. Be confident in the decision you made and move on.
- Quit. If you are currently in a situation that isn’t right for you, walk away as soon as you know. Why drag out a scenario that isn’t healthy? The longer it takes for you to leave an unhealthy situation, the longer it will take for the universe to open up the right doors and send you what you really need.
“As soon as you know something isn’t right, quit as soon as possible. Don’t ignore your intuition.” – Diane Forster (18:08)
Forgiving yourself for quitting is about trusting yourself and being wise enough to see the gifts that come from that decision. You have so much more good waiting for you when you forgive yourself and move forward.
How to get involved
- For more information about working with Diane and to gain access to valuable resources visit dianeforster.com.
- You can contact Diane for coaching information at info@dianeforster.com.