The Art Of Quitting: 7 Things Brilliant People Have No Problem Letting Go Of
KONSTANTIN_SHISHKIN / Shutterstock There's an art to quitting things, even if isn’t an easy thing for most people to do. Letting go of the things that we’re used to usually feels uncomfortable. The most brilliant people have figured out how to move on from things that are no longer serving them. Even if a relationship or habit feels safe because it’s familiar, they know letting go will give them the freedom they’re searching for.
Brilliant people have no problem at all letting go of these things because they know it’s the best thing they can do for themselves
1. Friendships they’ve outgrown over time
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It would be nice if all friendships lasted forever, but that’s just not possible. As people naturally change, so do their connections with others. Sometimes that means a friendship has run its course. Feeling the need to move on from a friendship doesn’t mean anyone did anything wrong. Every relationship takes energy, and it doesn’t make sense to keep using up those resources when people are in different places.
There’s no way to go through this without feeling hurt, but it’s worth it if it means no longer keeping up with someone who doesn’t add anything to your life.
2. Being determined to make everyone like them
No one wants to be hated, but some people really feel like they need to make every single person they meet like them. They’re so obsessed with others’ approval that they’ll do anything to get it.
This is how people lose sight of who they really are. By desperately trying to fit in, they keep changing themselves until they’re unrecognizable. Accepting that someone doesn’t like you is much less painful than realizing you’ve become totally fake.
3. Leaving a job that’s safe but unfulfilling
Sometimes people choose their career path based on what was expected of them or what sounded like the right thing to do. If someone ended up in the wrong job for one of those reasons or they just feel overwhelmed at work, there’s no shame in leaving.
Obviously, people have to be practical when they make this decision. But if they have a backup plan in place, they don’t need to keep a job they hate just because it seems like the safest option. No one can really be happy when they’re building their life around other people’s expectations, and they definitely can’t be happy when the place they spend most of their time feels toxic. They’ll thank themselves for moving on someday.
4. Obsessing over their past mistakes
Guilt is generally helpful because it shows us what we need to do differently. But some people get so caught up in feeling guilty that it turns into a pattern of rumination where they can’t move on from negative thoughts.
Anytime someone can offer an apology or do something else to make a mistake right, they should go for it. But thinking about the times they messed up just to tear themselves down isn’t doing any good. Letting go of that brings a sense of peace.
5. Proving they’re the smartest person in the room
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A lot of people don’t want to admit when they’re wrong, so they pretend to know everything instead. Even when they know they’re far from the smartest person in the room, they work to make other people think that they are.
While that might make them feel superior, it’s also exhausting. Putting on an act to hide who they truly are behind a mask of intelligence requires constantly monitoring their behavior. It’s not worth the confidence boost they get to never let their guard down.
6. Keeping up with people they don’t even know
It’s natural for people to compare themselves to each other, but since social media has given us all a closer look at the best parts of others’ lives, it’s harder to use that comparison as a motivator instead of letting it destroy your confidence.
That’s why some people have learned that keeping up with the Joneses should be their lowest priority. Watching strangers who seem to have it all together and trying to live up to the standard they supposedly set will never leave someone feeling fulfilled. It’s a hard habit to quit, but it’s also a harmful one that has zero benefits, so there should be no reason not to let it go.
7. Thinking they failed if they have to make a change
Being able to recognize when it’s time to pivot and try something different is actually a super healthy quality to have. Unfortunately, it’s not very common because the sunk cost fallacy makes people think it’s bad to give up on something they’ve already invested in.
Redirection and failure aren’t the same thing. In fact, redirection is often the thing that steers people away from failure. Getting out of that mindset is liberating and shows people that starting over is a good thing that has no expiration date.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
