Make Quitting an Option

Many of us were taught that: Quitting is failure. Quitting makes you weak. My parents told me "You must finish what you started."

But the truth is much simpler and far more liberating:

Quitting can be an act of self-care.

Quitting can be powerful.

Quitting can be choosing yourself.

When something no longer serves you, it takes up space—mental, emotional, spiritual—space. The space that thing is taking belongs to something more enriching, more aligned, more you.

This is a reminder that you’re allowed to evaluate your choices and choose differently when you need to, when you put yourself before "it".

What Quitting Actually Means

Quitting isn’t about giving up. It’s about recognizing and owning your power to redirect your life.

It means observing yourself and your actions and asking:

• “Does this still nourish me?”

• “Is this still aligned with who I am?”

• “Why am I staying?"

Quitting is not weakness. It takes strength to quit.

When the Conditioning Runs Deep

I played club sports as a kid. The philosophies were be tough and don't quit. That seemed to be the mentality for the games I was playing. When I joined the military it made more sense to continue with that thought process, so I removed the option of quitting from my life.

My rule was clear:

Service Before Self. Don't quit. Not if you’re exhausted. Not if you’re hurting. Not if you’re falling apart inside.

You show up, do the mission, nothing gets in the way.

Emotions weren’t necessary. Feeling wasn’t required. Quitting wasn’t allowed.

I took that conditioning from my childhood sports and amplified them in the military. It's who I was at work, in relationships, it was my adult life...

For my situation the conditioning manifested as:

• staying far longer than was healthy,

• struggle becoming the norm.

• thinking rest must be earned,

• tolerating environments that drained my spirit.

How Emotional Harm Shows Up

There is a difference between discomfort that grows you and discomfort that breaks you.

Here are some of the signs something is no longer aligned:

• You need to constantly motivate yourself to do it.

• Your excitement has turned into frustration or numbness.

• Your spiritual energy never replenishes.

• Your body carries the weight: tension, joint pain, restlessness.

• Life happens around you but not with you—you feel detached from your own flow.

Sometimes it shows as complacency that can generate a feeling of being stuck in a loop. Sometimes it manifests as weight you can’t shed—physically or energetically. It can cause your body to speak louder than the mind, causing physical discomfort. Intuition isn’t always a spiritual whisper. Sometimes it’s your physical body shouting, “enough!” At that point you're forced to ask, " Am I worth more than the environment I'm in?" Remember,

Your first responsibility is to your inner peace. Everything else follows.

The Power in Choosing Yourself

When I made quitting an option, everything changed.

I released emotions I didn’t know I was carrying—toward coworkers, clients, family, even myself. All of it rooted in the environments I stayed in too long.

I slowly began to change once I left:

• I felt clarity again.

• My relationships improved.

• Creativity returned.

• Energy returned.

• Joy returned.

• I returned.

The power was always in my hands. I just needed to remember it.

Remember to step back and host an emotional review with yourself. Come at the idea of quitting from the perspective of the decision maker. You have a choice in the situation, you don't need to force yourself to stay on the path. It's important to remember your power, care for yourself. Choose you. Make the decision that best nourishes your soul. Below are some questions that may help you on your journey. Our partners at Vibe Media curated a meditation playlist you can find on Spotify to assist you in your reflection.

Love, Light, Joy, Peace and Abundance,

Malik

A Simple Emotional Audit

Use this when you’re unsure whether something still nourishes you.

Ask yourself:

1. How did I feel before doing this?

2. How do I feel afterward?

3. Why am I staying in this experience?

4. Is this costing my well-being?

5. Am I myself when I’m in this environment?

   
   

If it resonates with you take a moment for deeper reflection:

• What step toward self-care can I take today?

Remember, this can be a conversation with yourself.