Learning to Quit

I was on Facebook the other day when I came across a status update. It was on the timeline of someone who I have met in person on several occasions. I used to be her daughter's teacher. Her husband and I share a bond through our mutual practice of capoeira. We are not merely digital acquaintances, and so I stopped when I read:

“Quitting holds such a negative connotation. There's a fine line between giving up/quitting when the going gets tough vs. knowing when something has had a good run and it's time to move on. You have to outweigh the mental, emotional and physical toll on your well-being against whatever it is you're considering sticking with. Quitting doesn't mean you've failed. It's allowing yourself the freedom to let something go that no longer serves you, and create space for something greater to be birthed.”

Immediately, people began to comment and ask if she, Jessica Winns, CEO of Ari Rose Body Care, was closing her business that offers "handcrafted body care for the clean and conscious woman." Jessica responded with a firm, "no.” In sharing the status update above, she wanted to encourage her followers of the importance of learning from past failures to create better choices for well-being in the future.

I encountered similar concerns about whether I was quitting my business when I announced that I was applying for a job as the Cancun Experience Officer (CEO) of Cancun.Com. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am continuing my entrepreneurial ventures as a writer, consultant, and personal development coach. However, the position with Cancun.com is an opportunity to bridge my skill set of writing, video editing, researching, and sharing content via social media, alongside volunteering with local organizations to serve Cancun’s community.

Many people are aware of the negative associations with the drug trade in Cancun and taking this position is an opportunity to counter such depictions through positive images, videos, and words. If selected for the CEO position, it does not mean that I am quitting my business by any stretch of the imagination. It does indicate that I am creating "space for something greater to be birthed."

My current work is primarily targeted toward businesses, schools, and individuals in the United States. I train organizations, provide lectures, and help people realize their full potential through methods consistent with the literature of personal development. As a teacher of capoeira, I also offer workshops that explore the history, movements, rituals, and music of this ancient art form. If hired for the CEO position it will enable me to serve a new group of people in Mexico beyond my current community.

Today, I want you to reread the quote I used at the beginning of this blog. Are there things in your life that you need to shift to make space for something else? Challenges are part of the human existence, and we can control how we choose to respond. Either we can push through the challenges or obstacles to create the success desired, or we can accept failures as a learning opportunity and allow new options to take place.

Share one personal failure in the comments of this blog and vote for my application as the CEO of Cancun.com.

#socialmedia #facebook #CEO #Cancuncom